


Hello again, Storybrooke

by Jules_Day



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU after Going Home, F/F, No really she's dead and no one is going to get Zelena'd in NYC, Zelena is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-17 10:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1384516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules_Day/pseuds/Jules_Day
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Opening the door, Regina came face to face with a citizen of Storybrooke she had thought she'd never see again. </p><p>After regaining her memories, Emma returns home with Henry to find a new kind of Storybrooke. With this second chance before her, Emma's got to buck up and face the music.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd: All mistakes are mine. It's kinda my job to "beta" people's work, so hopefully this is a clean copy.
> 
> Disclaimer: Not for profit. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little bit, k?
> 
> Spoilers?  
> I don't think I've mooched too much off the show. A comment here and there, perhaps. A little bit of dialogue from Witch Hunt and The Pilot, for sure.
> 
> Author's note: I'm in the middle juggling my classes with work, so I know for sure that the next update won't be for another 2 weeks. It won't be an overly long story at all, and I don't anticipate it to be some kind of an epic. It's just a little something to amuse myself with in my downtime and stretch the creative writing muscles that I've left dormant for far too long. It feels kinda weird to be the writer this time around.

There's a knock at the door.

"Excuse me," she said, as she delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Smoothing out her dress, Regina walked to the door, a little perturbed at having her dinner interrupted by what was, no doubt, to be a silly disruption that even Snow White herself could handle. Why these people still felt the need to bother her with their trivialities, she had no clue.

Opening the door, Regina came face to face with a citizen of Storybrooke she had thought she'd never see again.

"Emma."

She didn't mean for that to come out as breathless as it sounded. But, then again, few things could affect Regina as deeply as Emma Swan herself could.

"Hi," Emma sheepishly responded.

Regina stood there, unable to comprehend that Emma Swan was standing at her doorstep after all this time. When they all said goodbye at the town line, Regina had resigned herself to a life lived without her family. When they had landed back in the Enchanted Forest, home was once again her old castle—Leopold's castle. Of course, Snow and her Prince Charming had tagged along almost cheerfully, making themselves comfortable and—in Snow's words—took to sprucing up the place from all the doom and gloom of the Evil Queen's reign.

She had rolled her eyes at Snow and told her to keep her sunshine and lollipops away from her bedchambers. Clearly, Neverland had gone to her head and she thought Regina actually gave a shit about her and her dolt of a husband. But, alas, she saw no way out of her predicament, thankful at least that they hadn't all discarded her like yesterday's trash, or worse, the minute they had arrived back in the old land.

The hole in Regina's heart ached with every passing day. She contemplated removing her heartache in the only way she knew how; she rode her horse through the forest until exhaustion; she fitfully slept; and she even took to teaching Ruby Lucas how to control her beast within now that the influence of the moon was so much stronger here in the Enchanted Forest—anything to get her mind off of the pain of loss that wouldn't ebb.

And just when she thought she had settled and managed the constant ache within, Emma Swan knocked on her door, knocking her over in kind.

The longer Regina stared, the more Emma shifted on her feet, anxious and worried as to the reception her sudden presence would engender in the formidable woman.

When it seemed likely that no response was forthcoming, for a lack of better words, she uttered, "So…I was in the neighborhood…"

Blinking out of her daze, Regina rushed forward and grabbed Emma's arm.

"What are you doing here? Where is Henry?"

Resting her other hand gently on top of Regina's, which at the present moment was digging sharply into her bicep, "Henry, fine. I rented a room at Granny's. Hook's with him."

Regina scoffed. "You're trusting his safety to that one-handed pirate?"

"Is there a threat I should be worried about?"

"Hardly. The Witch has been dealt with."

"That's not what Hook told me. He said I had to come back because Storybrooke needed me." Emma pierced Regina with a look that indicated she was trying to use her 'superpower' on Regina. The other woman merely rolled her eyes and said,  _bring it_.

"The captain's information is severely outdated then. Truly, do you really think we'd trust  _him_  with a mission of that kind of importance? It was bad enough trying to get our wits about us when we landed in the Enchanted Forest while your two dreadful suitors fought over who mourned your loss the most.

"Just imagine for a moment, Miss Swan, how much time would have been wasted if the choice as to who would supposedly send for you was down to those two fools."

And with that, Regina stepped back and recollected herself inside the frame of the door, drawing strength from the space and her positioning away from Emma.

She gave Regina a moment, recognizing that she needed a little breathing space.

"Back to 'Miss Swan,' is it?" Emma teased, the corners of her eyes just slightly crinkling in amusement.

Regina blew out a breath. "Old habits."

Chuckling, "Well, it's good to be back, regardless. Nice to see some things never change."

Regina smiled at her. There seemed to be a message beneath that smirk that Emma could not quite figure out.

Ever the perfect hostess, "Well, Emma. Please do come inside. There's much to discuss, I'm sure."

Regina stepped back inside, allowing room for Emma to step back into the house that once sent shivers up her spine. Looking around, it seemed like not much had changed. But it felt a little homier, a little warmer than before. Why that seemed strange to her, she couldn't guess at.

Walking behind Regina into the dining room, she was so busy taking it all in again that she didn't realize who was seated at the table. Tripping over her feet, she righted herself just in time.

"Dad!"

Upon seeing his daughter, David jumped out of his seat and rushed over to engulf Emma in a tight hug. Emma embraced her father in a way she never had before, content to take in the warmth and love and happiness radiating off of David for however long they both needed it. It was some time till they broke apart, wiping tears from their eyes, David putting up a brave front as he stepped away to the table to pull out a chair for his daughter.

As Emma moved to sit down, she noticed the comfortable familiarity between her father and Regina. David placed his hand on Regina's shoulder and squeezed it gently as he walked around her to the other side of the table to his seat.  _What have I missed here?_

Next to Emma sat a man she'd never met before, his scruffy look unfamiliar to her as she mentally scanned through her Rolodex of Storybrooke's fairytale characters. He put out a hand for her to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Swan. I've heard a lot about you."

Emma shook his hand and grimaced. "All good things I hope."

The man chortled, "If not, the Queen would have something to say about it."

Regina's wine glass made a loud bang on the table as she put it down.

"Thank you, Robin, for your input. Welcomed as it always is," Regina drawled.

Robin seemed to take Regina's salty attitude in his stride, smiling good-naturedly at her and refilling her wine glass. He grabbed another glass from the table and poured some wine in it, placing it in front of Emma.

"I'm not drinking tonight, so the glass's clean."

Emma took the glass with a smile in thanks, drawing it halfway to her lips before her brain caught up. "Wait…Robin, as in…like Robin Hood?"

Robin winked at Emma. "The one and only, milady."

Emma sighed,  _Who's next, the Wizard of Oz?_ Taking a large gulp of her wine, she glanced at her father, who hadn't yet taken his eyes of her. She gave him a small smile, understanding that her being back would take some time to get used to.

As it seemed unlikely that David would be of any help whatsoever— _Why am I not surprised in the least?_ —Regina took it upon herself to break the silence and cease Emma's squirming under the attention.

"So, given that there's quite a bit of catching up to do, let's focus on the basics, shall we?"

"Sure. Wanna tell me how the hell you guys are here now? And who's 'The Witch'?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West, actually," Robin supplied, helpfully.

Emma choked on her wine. "The Wicked Witch of the West? Seriously, she's real, too?"

Regina spared Emma a lazy, derisive look. "Says the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Fine. So you threw some water at the crazy green witch and she melted, yeah?"

"Not quite. But close. We locked her up in a cage and Hook threw her off the side of his ship."

Emma's eyed bugged out.

"You really think a mere bucket of water was going to suffice? Really, dear."

Emma dropped her head onto the table, tired already. "Ugh."

"Cheer up, Swan." Robin patted her on the back and refilled her glass, which Emma promptly downed as quickly as possible.  _One day back and I've already stepped into crazytown where Robin freakin' Hood is plying me with drinks and my Dad looks like he's best buds with the Evil Queen. And where the hell is—_

"Where's Mary Margaret?"

"Your mom's at home resting," David answered with a proud look.

Emma looked at him warily and said, "Resting from what?"

Regina quickly sidestepped the answer. "Your mother is fine. As annoying and self-righteous as she ever was, believe me." David shot Regina a look, which she gave back in kind.

"Since when are you two friends?"

"Bygones and all that," Regina said with a flourish of her hand, picking up her glass to take a sip.

Emma narrowed her eyes at her.

"Emma. How are you back here in Storybrooke, and with your memories of us?" David asked.

"Long story short: Hook came to New York. Harassed me into listen to him because it was apparently of  _grave importance_  that I came home. I drank a potion, and here I am."

"Come to save the day, no doubt."

"Yeah, Regina. That's what I do. All I'm good for," Emma snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean, Emma?" David asked, concerned by Emma's change in attitude.

Standing up, Emma huffed out, "You're all here and, apparently, having a good time while Henry and I were still in New York living a fake life with fake memories. Henry still doesn't remember. Didn't anyone want to come and get us now that the coast was clear? Isn't that what you're all about, David? Finding your family and all that bullshit?"

At this, Regina stood up. "We thought we were giving you and Henry a chance at a normal life. Free from all the horrible memories of the past and a bright future ahead of you. Do you honestly think I wouldn't have come for you myself if I thought it would be what's best for you?"

Regina grabbed at the half-eaten dinner plates, clanged them together in haste and stalked off into the kitchen.

Emma sat back down, speechless as she stared at the kitchen door in surprise.  _You honestly think I wouldn't have come for you myself if I thought it would be what's best for you? She couldn't mean…_

"She meant what's best for Henry, right?" Emma asked David and Robin, desperate for an affirmative answer. The sounds of Regina moving about the kitchen, clearly still angry, filtered through into the dining room as the silence dragged on. When neither man was willing to give her a straight answer, Emma stood up, intending to march into the kitchen and demand answers from Regina herself.

David got up from his seat and quickly intercepted her. "Emma, it's getting late—"

"It's 8:30."

"And going on bedtime," David insisted. "C'mon Robin. Let's go."

David led Emma into the foyer. Seeing that she was going to get nowhere tonight, Emma stopped resisting David's pushiness and waited by the door for him to grab his coat. Robin Hood ambled in and took his own jacket and scarf from David's outstretched arm.

He called out to Regina as he moved past Emma, "Cheers, Your Majesty! I'll be by tomorrow with Roland." And with that, Robin Hood took his exit, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets to ward off the cold on his walk home.

Emma and David walked over to his truck parked in the driveway. "Want to ride with me? We can catch up a little."

"But my car—"

"Will still be here in the morning. And besides, I'm sure Regina would appreciate knowing that you'll be back…for the car," David said, smirking at his daughter.

Emma sighed and leaned against the truck, dropping her head back to avoid her father's knowing look. She was exhausted. The moment she drank that potion Hook gave her, her life had been swept out from under her. Everything she thought she knew was a lie. She hadn't kept Henry. She hadn't changed every diaper. Soothed every fever. Endured every tantrum. Her clothes weren't the same. She wasn't the same, and she could feel the two sides of her warring within.

Henry wasn't the same, either. Not really, when she thought about it.

Sure, he was the optimistic and loving young boy he always was, but he was a lot less mature, finally acting his age it seemed without the memories of all he had been through. Instead of his nose always in a book, he was glued to whatever the coolest video game was, swapping titles with friends at school.

...Henry had  _friends_ —a lot of friends.

She'd whisked him away back to Storybrooke as soon as she could without even thinking about how that was going to affect this version of Henry.  _Regina wouldn't approve. Probably. If she'll talk to me again, that is, I might find out._

What was she supposed to do, though, when Hook was all,  _"You're needed, Emma. Back home. We all need you. I need you"_? She could've done without Hook's incessant pushing about getting together.  _One kiss in the heat of the moment and he thinks we've got True Love. Jesus, they move fast, don't they?_

What was she going to do now that she was back in Storybrooke, and without any kind of danger or curse looming over their heads? What was normal life even like in this town? It had been so long since those early days when the worst she had to face was an irate Mayor with a complex who, in hindsight, loved to piss her off just for something to do after 28 years of interacting with people living in a loop.

"Emma. It's going to be fine. Tomorrow, with clear heads, we'll talk it out," David said, breaking Emma out of her reverie. With one last lingering look at the house, Emma climbed into the truck and buckled her belt. David hopped in, turning the key and bringing the engine roaring back to life.

Once on the road, Emma asked, "David, is Neal here in town? I should probably let him know we're back. I raced over here to see Regina as soon as we got in, but I should probably give Neal a heads up, too. His son thinks he's a total deadbeat, and it's not going to be pretty if they run into each other at Granny's or something."

David nodded, not taking his eyes off the road as he answered, "He's living with Belle in Rumple's old house."

Emma looked sharply at David in surprise. "With Belle? As in…?"

"Oh! No. Emma. Not like that," David laughed out loud. "She wasn't faring well after Gold's death. Neither was Neal, really. When we came back, they moved into his place and kept to themselves for a little while. Forged a bond in mutual grief."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Way to make it sound almost poetic." David grinned. "So when you say, 'When we came back,' you mean…?"

"I mean that the Wicked Witch cast a curse on us that brought us back here to Storybrooke."

"What did she want?"

"Regina." Emma gasped. "But you know Regina, she just laughed in her face and told the witch to give it her best shot," David said, chuckling in a way that seemed almost like fondness at the memory.

David pulled into a spot at Granny's bed and breakfast and killed the engine. "I'll pick you up in the morning. Your mother will want to see you. Can we have breakfast before you go talk to Regina?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What about Henry? What have you told him about all this?"

Emma blew out a long breath. "I told him I'm working a case for some friends."

"Then that's what we'll be once again. Your friends," David said with a warm smile, happy to have his family back together again, even with the small setback.

Emma leaned over and hugged him. Giving and receiving affection was easier for the new Emma. It was hard to let go of that, despite the deluge of her real memories flooding in and taking up their rightful place. Though, in this moment, she was glad to have her weirdly wonderful ( _wonderfully weird?_ ) family unit back.

"I'll send Hook out," Emma said once she'd stepped out of the truck. "Think you can drop him off at wherever he's staying now?"

"Sure. It's on my way."

With a final nod to her father, Emma trudged back into the bed and breakfast, hoping against hope that tomorrow would be a better day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd: All mistakes are mine, as always.
> 
> Disclaimer in Ch. 1
> 
> Spoilers?  
> Nothing from 3B, I don't think. There are some throwbacks, though... ;)
> 
> Author's note: So...I'm procrastinating at the moment. Which is very very very bad. For me (a little). Not for you (maybe). Like I said before, I'm using this as an opportunity to get creative in this format again. So if this is a little weird (or useless), do let me know!

_Mornings with Henry are my favorite time of the day—he's definitely a morning person. Don't know where he got that…_

_Certainly wasn't from me, that's for damn sure._

_I've had to get my ass into gear over the years. Sure, balancing things has been tricky. I've got a job, and being a mom is like having another one on top of it. That's just the life of a single mom. So I push forward. I do it for him. I've gone from being a frazzled young single mom to a (fun, cool) drill sergeant, ha!_

_Let's face it, when your kid is all dressed and ready and waiting for you by the door before you've even had a chance to shove the cereal and milk back where they're supposed to go, or put a comb through your unruly bed head…well…_

_I mean, it's not like they can just take him away from me—he's **mine**._

_But I still fear it, you know?_

_I kept him so he could have his best chance._

_I've been through the system. There's no guarantees. He could've ended up anywhere and with anyone. What were the chances he'd get adopted by someone who'd love him with all her heart and make him the center of her universe?_

_It's an orphan's pipe dream._

_More than likely, he would've ended up like I did—sent back when mommy and daddy had a cute, perfect **biological**  baby of their own. … Followed by shuffling from one foster home to another and getting stuck in group homes when he was seen as "trouble" (because, hell, it's just totally inconceivable that the fight you had with your foster "parents" might've stemmed from the fact that they just sucked ass at providing a basic level of care)._

_…Calm down, Swan._

_When I think about the alternative...of what could've been…a voice inside of me reminds me that I never gave up Henry. We've always been together. I've had the life I've always wanted. It was real._

_It **is**  real…_

_But…sometimes…it doesn't feel real._

_Like it's too…perfect._

_Why is my life so perfect?_

_My kid waters our plants for Pete's sake—without me having to bribe him! I live in a fabulous apartment. My job's exciting and pays well, so money's no issue—I'm the kind of parent who can go out and buy the latest gaming console for their kid, no sweat._

_So then why do I go to bed at night touching a hand to the space next to me, feeling like there was someone who was once there?_

_For as long as I can remember, it's just been Henry and me…_

_When we're at home together, everything feels so right. Mother and son. Us against the world!_

_But as soon as I drop him off at school, the emptiness—and that niggling feeling that something is just a little off—builds and builds until I can't ignore it anymore while I'm lying there awake at 1:08 am in the morning._

_Morning…_

_Mornings with Henry…_

_Jumping about to our playlist while we get ready._

_Eggs and pancakes._

_Hot chocolates with cinnamon._

_Sitting down at the table to eat…getting to talk and laugh and just be together._

_It's perfect._

_It's what I've always wanted._

_Right?_

 

_…right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was no Regina in this chapter. But I hope you liked this little peek at Emma and Henry's life in New York!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little nervous about this one. When I do write, it's dialogue and action directions on a script and not actual long descriptions and internal monologuing. So to shake things up, I wanted to see how much detail and emotion I could get across mainly using dialogue. Plus, I wanted to work out if I could get the voices right.
> 
> Also, I've chosen to block out It's Not Easy Being Green from my memory. But it was helpful for some lines that I used in this chapter. I've tweaked some details about the showdown. Otherwise, that episode was a hot mess and easily sits at the bottom of my rankings for all-time OUAT episodes. I don't take kindly to lazy writing and heavy-handed retcon.
> 
> And I've messed about with the timeline. You'll see.
> 
> That's enough talking from me. I hope you like it! I'd love to know if it worked for you ;)

_"Regina."_

* * *

_That grating voice. A softly spoken plea. Suffocating as it calls on me and pulls at me…like it always has._

* * *

_"Regina, please."_

_"This doesn't concern you."_

_"This isn't the answer. You won't feel better. You won't feel anything."_

_"That husband of yours is wearing on you, because you see, that's the point, dear."_

_"If implying that I'm dim was your best attempt at pushing me away, you'll have to try harder. I'm not going anywhere."_

_"I'm fairly unconcerned with what you do or don't do."_

_"We both know that's a lie, don't we?"_

* * *

_That insufferable little twit._

* * *

_"What do you want from me?"_

_"Nothing…no, that's a lie. I want you to put that back."_

_"And I want you to go away, but it seems neither of us are going to get what we want."_

_"Regina, I know exactly how you're feeling. Right now, it might be causing you pain, but I promise you, this isn't the end."_

_"What else is there to live for?"_

_"Hope. Family, too."_

_"And what family is that, dear? I've lost my family forever."_

_"You didn't lose all of your family."_

_"Leave me alone, Snow."_

* * *

_I feel as if it is some kind of indictment on my reputation and skill as a witch that the likes of Snow White and Prince Charming have foiled me time and time again._

_Perhaps…_

* * *

_"Regina! Put that out!"_

_"Why, dear? Are you scared of a little fire?"_

_"Snow!"_

_"Oh, brilliant. Two for one. It seems that 'I will always find you' has finally worked in my favor."_

_"Stop this. Right now. I won't let you hurt yourself like this."_

_"Why do you even care?"_

_"Snow, stay back!"_

_"David—"_

_"She's holding a ball of fire, aimed at your chest."_

_"Your insight is most useful, David. She's clearly hopeless without you."_

_"She's not going to throw it at me."_

_"Such faith you have in me."_

_"Don't you dare mock me, Regina."_

_"It's getting dark, and I'd really like to get back to my castle before nightfall. So, if you please…"_

_"I love you, Regina."_

_"—Excuse me?"_

_"You heard me. We're in this together. We always have been, you and me, all these years. And it's never going to change, is it?"_

_"I'm not your family."_

_"Perhaps not. But you're Henry's family. And…Emma's…"_

_"Don't you dare—"_

_"Us fighting again isn't what Henry would want! This isn't what Emma would want."_

_"What about what I want?"_

_"What is it that you want, Regina?"_

* * *

_I don't know what I want anymore. I am stuck in a land I never wanted to see ever again. Pulled away from my home and everything that I love because of someone else's twisted game._

_The irony isn't lost on me._

* * *

_"Any idea why she wants you dead?"_

_"I've never even met her before."_

_"That doesn't mean you didn't do something to piss her off."_

_"Yeah, you did manage to step on a lot of toes back then. Maybe you did something to her during one of your psychotic episodes."_

_"Stick to the lasagna, lady."_

_"Say that to me again, witch."_

_"Granny, put the crossbow down."_

* * *

_"Again!"_

_"I can't. I'm tired."_

_"Regina, can't you see she's about to drop?"_

_"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize that in the heat of battle, there was time for a snack break."_

_"Cut the shit, Your Majesty, and come here and have some pie."_

_"—Is it apple?"_

_"Tastes good, too. Belle, I made you a protein shake. Don't ask what's in it, but you need the energy."_

_"This smells awful, Ruby. I'm not drinking that."_

_"Here, give it to me."_

_"Regina, what are you—?"_

_"There. Now it should taste better."_

_"Chocolate…God, I've missed it. Thank you!"_

_"Think you can conjure me up some Red Vines?"_

_"I'm not a vending machine."_

* * *

_"I'm pregnant."_

_"And what do you want me to do about that? Get rid of it?"_

_"No! What? No! Why would you even ask me that?"_

_"I'm just not sure why you think I would care to know about it. Unless you've come to me for some other reason."_

_"I don't want to get rid of this precious gift, Regina. I'm telling you because I wanted you to know."_

_"Fantastic. Congratulations. I hope it's a boy!"_

_"Yeah, that sounded very genuine."_

_"I'm joyful on the inside. Now if you'll excuse me—"_

_"Regina. You're not my mother. But…you're my…something. I'm not sure what, but you're important. And you tell the important people in your life good news like this before you announce it to everyone else. So…this is me, telling you about the baby."_

_"Well now you've just made things awkward."_

_"And it's only going to get awkwarder..."_

* * *

_I don't do hugs._

_And "awkwarder" is not a word! I cannot believe she was Henry's teacher all those years. What was I thinking when I made that decision?_

* * *

_"This isn't a fair fight. You're using magic."_

_"And the witch has magic. I'm merely giving you a taste of what is to come."_

_"Then you're going easy on me, Regina."_

_"Well then, Charming. Let's see what you can really handle."_

* * *

_I didn't mean to knock him out. I swear…with my fingers crossed._

* * *

_"Old habits."_

_"That excuse isn't going to cut it."_

_"He'll live. If I wanted to kill him, he'd be dead, and don't you ever forget that, Snow."_

_"Your bark is worse than your bite, don't you ever forget that I know that, Regina."_

* * *

_She's lucky she's pregnant. That's all I'm saying._

* * *

_"A drink, Your Majesty?"_

_"You smell like forest."_

_"At least I don't smell like 300-year-old leather."_

_"Small mercies."_

* * *

_Damn wine. That thief is going to pay for this headache and…_

* * *

_"I'm not going to get all clingy with you, Regina, if that's what you're freaking out about."_

_"Miss Lucas—"_

_"Hey no, don't do that, okay? You want some space. Fine. But don't go all 'Mayor Mills' on me. It was just drunken sex. I get it. I'm not expecting a commitment."_

_"I wasn't—"_

_"Besides, I know it wasn't me you were touching."_

_"Ruby…"_

_"I told you. I get it, Regina."_

* * *

_Does everyone know?_

* * *

_"Yes, everyone knows."_

* * *

_"Stop hiding in there like a child. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."_

_"I'm not embarrassed!"_

* * *

_"Why are you awake this early? Did you even go to sleep?"_

_"Go back to bed, Snow."_

_"Want some company?"_

_"You're annoying."_

_"I'll take that as a yes."_

* * *

_"I don't want a gift from you."_

_"Oh, but you shall have it. I'm your sister. Half-sister, if you want to get technical."_

_"What? I'm an only child."_

_"Cora lied to you, Regina."_

_"Are all the people who try to kill us going to be family?"_

_"Perhaps next time it'll be a long-lost third cousin, twice removed. Keep things interesting."_

_"Do you always come to fights with a Greek chorus, sister?"_

_"Cora may have birthed you, allegedly, but you're no sister of mine."_

_"Those are fighting words, sis."_

_"Bring it, bitch."_

* * *

_Ouch._

* * *

_"Are you alright?"_

_"Yes, I'm fine. All things considered. Where is she?"_

_"She's gone. I don't think she was trying to kill you."_

_"Not this time, it seems—What are you doing?"_

_"There's glass in your hair."_

_"Glass in my hair is the least of my worries."_

_"Are you hurt?"_

_"Just my pride."_

_"Well, between your pride and my courage, we make quite a pair, don't we?"_

* * *

_"Did you want to talk about it?"_

_"Do I ever? My mother lied to me."_

_"And how do you feel about that?"_

_"Really?"_

_"You're the one who gave me the doctorate."_

_"You spent far too much time watching bad television. That was not my doing."_

_"I do miss those Lifetime movies."_

_"You know, I could find a way to turn you back. Fairy magic is nothing compared to mine. I'm sure there's an easy fix."_

_"Stop avoiding the question, Regina."_

* * *

_"We have to stop meeting like this."_

_"Have you been spending time with the pirate?"_

_"We've imbibed together some. Why?"_

_"Stalking is not a turn on."_

_"I didn't realize you wanted me to court you."_

_"I don't."_

_"Good, because even if I had planned on it—which I hadn't—I know…you know…about—"_

_"You don't know me well enough to talk about her."_

_"True. But my boy seems to have taken a liking to you, so you're going to have to get used to being my friend."_

_"I don't need your friendship."_

_"Oh, but you shall have it!"_

_"Your impersonations need some work."_

_"I thought that was pretty good, though."_

_"Pass me that drink, thief. This will all be far more entertaining if I was drunk."_

_"For you and me both."_

* * *

_"I was never enough."_

_"You doubt your mother's last words?"_

_"I doubt everything. Her. My life. My magic."_

_"You're the strongest witch in all the realms, you know that."_

_"Am I? Zelena threw me about like a rag doll without even breaking a sweat."_

_"You were trying to protect us, Regina. You were distracted. It was an unfair fight."_

_"And what am I to do next time? Those idiots insist on accompanying me to 'back me up'. What use is a sword or a bow against a witch?"_

_"Why do I feel like you call them idiots now with affection?"_

_"You need to clean your ears, cricket."_

_"You need to stop being in denial, Your Majesty."_

* * *

_"We're not safe in our own town!"_

_"What are we going to do?!"_

_"Everyone, please! Calm down. I know you're scared. We all are. But we're working on a plan to take down the witch. Just stay indoors. Stay together—as many of you that can fit comfortably in a single home. Those flying monkeys are dangerous, and many of them are our friends. We don't want to lose any more people. The Queen is our best shot at taking down the witch, but she can't do that if she has to keep fighting off those monkeys."_

_"Okay, sister, but is the Queen really going to be able to kill her own sister when push comes to shove?"_

_"I killed my father when I had to, didn't I?"_

_"Yeah, but you were, like, evil then."_

_"And what am I now? A cuddly teddy bear? Zelena will be destroyed, if it is the last thing I do."_

_"Yeah…that had way more punch to it when you were evil."_

* * *

_"Mind if I bunk here for the night? On the floor, I mean. All the other decent places to sleep in your house are kinda occupied, and I didn't want to sleep in the bathtub."_

_"If you must."_

_"I—"_

_"If you're here to talk to me about them, Baelfire—"_

_"I know how you feel, Regina. I lost them too."_

_"It's not the same."_

_"Isn't it? We both love them, don't we? Just because I didn't raise Henry, doesn't mean losing him hurts less."_

_"We're not sleepover buddies. This isn't an invitation for girl-talk."_

_"I'm not asking to braid your hair and talk about boys, Regina."_

_"Is that really what happens during sleepovers?"_

_"You never had sleepover as a kid?"_

_"Cora wasn't exactly a play-date kind of mother. I didn't really have friends growing up."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"What for?"_

_"If I hadn't gone through that portal, none of this would have ever happened. To you, and to everyone."_

_"You were just a boy. Rumple's burdens are not yours to bear. Everything that happened gave us Henry, and for that, I would endure it all again if I had to. You owe me no apology."_

_"Us, huh?"_

_"Slip of the tongue."_

_"Will your slip of the tongue extend to calling me Neal?"_

_"I'll work on it."_

_"Do. Because when we get back them back, I'd like to still be friends."_

_"Why does everyone insist on being my friend? Do I look like I'm some kind of social butterfly?"_

_"Face it, Queenie. You're stuck with us. And we like you. Prickly thorns and all."_

_"Don't ever call me that again."_

_"Fine. I'll work on a better nickname."_

_"I prefer Regina."_

_"Anyone ever call you Gina?"_

_"If they did, they soon learned never to do it again."_

_"No 'Gina'. Got it."_

_"Go to sleep…Neal. We'll need our rest for tomorrow."_

_"Just so you know, Emma did always like the bad boys."_

_"What are you implying?"_

_"I blew it with Emma. I've always known that, deep down. But you've got a chance with her, you know? And, oh boy, she would hit the jackpot with you. The Evil Queen? The ultimate definition of a bad boy. Well, a bad girl in your case."_

_"Keep your pornographic thoughts to yourself. I'm not a Catholic school girl."_

_"Well there's an image."_

_"You're disgusting."_

_"What? You're hot."_

_"You did not just say that to me."_

_"Please don't turn me into a toad."_

_"Go to sleep and stop bothering me and maybe I'll resist the temptation."_

_"Emma wouldn't like it if you did."_

_"Well Emma isn't here is she? She can't exactly voice her opinion on the matter!"_

_"Regina, we'll find a way to get them back. I promise."_

_"Don't make empty promises."_

_"And you're not a quitter, so don't you dare give up. They would hate it if they found out we had come back to Storybrooke and let them continue living some made up life."_

_"It's what's best for them. They're living a better life without us, without all this danger, and all those unpleasant memories. They are free to live a happy, normal existence. It would be cruel to take that away from them."_

_"Those unhappy memories are a part of what made them who they are. And there were plenty of good memories too—"_

_"Go to sleep."_

* * *

_"REGINA!"_

_"Stop screaming. I'm right here."_

_"The baby's coming!"_

_"No. No, it's not! We're in the middle of the woods. You are not giving birth in a hovel. At least, not while I'm around."_

_"Can you like…magic us to the hospital, or something?"_

_"And alert the witch to our presence? David, I told you it was a bad idea bringing her with us."_

_"I'm the best tracker we have."_

_"Oh, yes. Silly me. A hormonal and heavily pregnant woman is so much better than a werewolf."_

_"Regina, we don't have time for this."_

_"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not a doctor."_

* * *

_I didn't sign up for this. There isn't enough brain bleach in all the realms…_

* * *

_"It's too soon for this. Regina, I'm scared."_

_"Between the two of us, you're the one who's experienced childbirth, dear. I'm quite out of my element here."_

_"We trust you. Just do what you can."_

* * *

_Oh my god. There's so much blood. Why is there so much blood? Is there supposed to be this much blood?!_

* * *

_"Use your magic! Do something! Save them! Please!"_

* * *

_"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Oh, how sweet. Is that a baby boy? Congratulations."_

_"It's like I'm living in a time warp. I can't have five minutes with my child before a witch barges in threatening to kill us all?"_

* * *

_Color me surprised. I never knew he had it in him._

* * *

_"But I'm family!"_

_"Your fight is with me, Zelena. Leave them out of this."_

_"Touching."_

_"David, just keep her awake."_

_"Regina—!"_

* * *

_"Enjoy your ride on the Jolly Roger, dear. Be sure to give Mother a kiss for me when you see her."_

* * *

_"I refuse."_

_"You can't refuse!"_

_"I just did."_

_"Regina! C'mon."_

_"You're not even really religious. Why is this necessary?"_

_"Mary Margaret was. And she's still a part of me. Please, Regina? It would mean so much to us."_

* * *

_"Do we have to do this at the church? Can't we just douse the baby in holy water at home?"_

_"You need to get over your issues with the fairies."_

_"Never."_

* * *

_"I never signed up for diaper duty."_

_"Godmothers don't complain about changing diapers."_

_"I hate you."_

_"I love you, too."_

* * *

_"Are you drunk?"_

_"Possibly."_

_"You're going to damage your liver if you keep this up."_

_"I don't care."_

_"Clearly."_

_"Take me to bed."_

_"No."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Regina, we're back home now. You can't use me as a substitute anymore. New York is just a short flight away. You can't keep avoiding having to deal with that fact."_

_"I'm a mess."_

_"Yes, you are. Come inside. I'll make some coffee."_

* * *

_"Regina, this is amazing."_

_"You've outdone yourself, Your Maj—"_

_"Expecting anyone else?"_

_"No. It's probably just another one of those dwarves. Endless complainers. Excuse me."_

* * *

_"Emma."_

_"Hi."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one minded the slight bit of Red Queen there. I'm not aiming for a love triangle.
> 
> Well, I hope that wasn't a totally weird experience :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And we're back in the present timeline! Enjoy! (All mistakes are mine.)

All Emma heard was a cry before she was engulfed in a hug so tight it felt like she was about to break a rib, or two.

"Whoa, hey. It's great to see you too," Emma squeaked out.

"Honey, she can't breathe," David said affectionately.

"Oh!" Snow unwrapped herself from Emma, but didn't go very far, holding her daughter close in a looser hug and freely letting the tears escape her watery eyes. "I'm sorry, I just missed you so much."

"Hey, I get it," Emma said with a small smile. As uncomfortable as emotional moments might make her sometimes, the last year spent with Henry had given Emma some perspective on how unapproachable she used to be, particularly to her parents. She knew how hard this separation must've been for them, given that they remembered her while she was living blissfully unaware, and so she was content to give her mother what she needed from her. "It's been a long time for you. Me, it's just like we said goodbye yesterday, you know?"

Emma pulled Snow into another hug, this time one that was a lot more mutually comforting. After a long moment, relishing in the embrace she thought she'd never get a chance at experiencing again, Snow gave her one last squeeze before she moved back and nodded, wiping her face with her hands while chuckling at her display. Moving into the kitchen, Snow broke the heavy emotion in the air as she casually asked, "So where's Henry?"

Father and daughter followed her, taking up their usual seats at the breakfast bar, watching as she made them coffee. "He's still sleeping. He thinks I don't know, but he was up late playing some new video game."

Accepting the warm mug from her mother, Emma quickly took a sip before continuing on, "I'd be annoyed about that usually, but it works out in our favor." Emma stared at her coffee, as if trying to find the courage to ask all the questions racing in her mind.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Snow asked, placing her hand on her daughter's, relishing the opportunity to comfort her.

Before Emma could respond, a cry rang out from somewhere in the apartment, startling Emma out of her reverie. Locking eyes, as if they were sharing some kind of silent conversation and coming to a conclusion, Snow nodded at David and disappeared into the next room without a word.

David let out a sigh, drawing Emma's attention away from the closed bedroom door and to her obviously nervous father.

"Emma," David began, licking his lips, unsure of how to break the news. "There's something you should know."

Emma cocked an eyebrow, "Clearly."

"Your mother and I, well…we—"

"Had a baby," Emma took pity on David, saving him from trying to stumble and gather the right words. "Yeah, I gathered as much from all the wailing going on in the next room."

Emma looked at her father sympathetically. The poor man was sweating and fidgeting, obviously expecting an unpleasant reaction from her. Truthfully, she didn't really know what to make of the news. Her parents had another child. Great. She knew she couldn't really fault them for that. The separation was meant to be permanent. They had moved on. She knew rationally that they had to do that. Life goes on, and all that jazz.

But damn if it didn't hurt like a bitch just a little bit.

"Emma—" David started desperately, reading the look of pain flashing across his daughter's face.

Putting a hand up to stop whatever kind of platitudes were going to come out of his mouth, "No, really. It's…it's a lot to take in. And I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't sting. But I'm happy for you." Offering him a genuine smile, Emma leaned over and hugged her father tightly, whispering in his ear during their embrace, "This is good news, I know that. But it's going to take me a bit to get used to, okay?"

Blinking away the tears in his eyes, David held his daughter close to him, nodding once in reply, knowing that trying to speak words right now was an exercise in futility. There wasn't anything to say. They would be okay. But it would take time, and father and daughter remained in the moment until they were interrupted by the emergence of Snow White with a baby over her shoulder, walking over to them while she softly cooed and rubbed the baby's back.

David and Emma broke apart, discreetly wiping at eyes and clearing throats.

"And who's this?" Emma inquired brightly, successfully managing to sound more upbeat than she really felt.

Picking up on Emma's signal to ignore her uneasiness, Snow turned the baby in her arms, bringing the two siblings face to face for the first time. "Emma, meet Tristan."

At that moment, Tristan yawned and opened his eyes, as if knowing that this was an important moment that he didn't want to miss out on. Emma's eyes widened perceptibly as her baby brother's brilliant blue-green eyes, so much like her own, looked at her curiously. For a moment, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

The moment was broken, though, when Tristan fussed in Snow's arms, trying urgently to reach out to this new person in front of him. Emma snapped into action, slipping her hands under his arms and lifting him out of their mother's hold. She tucked him into her chest and looked down at him in awe. Truly in the moment, Emma didn't notice how her natural and effortless movements with Tristan struck her parents in surprise.

In an instance, Emma knew she couldn't begrudge this innocent baby's existence. It was weird and just a little bit uncomfortable, but hey, this family tree was always a little kooky.

* * *

As they walked to Granny's, Henry's naturally inquisitive self came out to play. Already suspicious of why they had to abruptly leave home to come to this isolated little town, and stuck in a hotel room all night with a strange dude who Henry determined must be a serious cosplayer, he had questions—lots of them.

"Are you guys helping my mom with the case?"

Startled by the sudden question that broke the easy silence of their walk, Emma was the first to recover, "I told you, kid. They're just old friends."

A chip off the old block, Henry doggedly continued on, "Friends? From where?"

"Phoenix," Snow answered with a smile, pleased with her answer. Henry looked at her askance.

"But I thought you were only in Phoenix to carry out your sentence?" he asked his mother.

"Right, yeah. I was. Um—," Emma stammered, at a loss for words.

"We were cell mates!"

Snow's outburst halted the group in their tracks, staring at her in surprise. David and Emma had shared looks of  _WTF_ , while Henry narrowed his eyes at her, trying to picture a prison uniform on this lady who looked more like an elementary school teacher than a criminal.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. "What were you in for?"

Snow swallowed deeply, both blondes of no help as they just stood there gaping at her. "Banditry," she said with confidence. "People make mistakes. The important thing is to find a way to keep moving on."

Feeling on top of the world for having skillfully dodged a bullet there, Snow strode into the diner with her head held high, leaving behind two perplexed adults and one seriously dubious teenager.

* * *

"Is there something up with Ruby?" Emma asked, eyeing the waitress across the diner who was laughing at something Archie must've said.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, gee, I don't know, Mom, maybe because she hasn't looked my way the entire time I've been in here." Emma turned back to her parents, catching them looking decidedly uncomfortable with the topic at hand.  _Yep, there's definitely something I'm missing here._

"It's just the morning rush, Emma," David said, clearly trying to placate his daughter.

Having none of it, Emma retorted, "Oh, really? The morning rush? Since when did that ever stop her from taking five?" Wanting to get to the bottom of this, Emma did what she does best: Confront the problem head on.  _Plan? What plan?_

"Keep Henry occupied when he comes back from the bathroom."

"Emma—," David and Snow called out in unison, but Emma was already out of her seat and striding over to the other side of the diner.

"Hey."

Startled, Ruby banged her head against the underside of the table she was crouched under.

"Shit."

"Shit. Sorry—"

Rubbing her head, Ruby quickly grabbed the napkin and cutlery that had fallen on the ground as she got up to face Emma.

"Uh, hey," she said quickly before turning back to clean up the rest of the items on the table.

Undeterred, "It's been a while," Emma threw out there.

"It has." Ruby's detached tone was surprising, but Emma was nothing if not persistent.

"So, you must be loving being back in Storybrooke."

"I guess," Ruby said quietly as she picked up the stack of dirty plates and turned to go to the kitchen. Emma quickly blocked her path.

"Is something wrong?"

Ruby huffed, "Why would you think that?"

Emma quirked an eyebrow and looked at Ruby squarely, "Why wouldn't I think that? Rubes, you're barely even looking at me. What's up?"

Ruby looked away, taking a breath before responding. "Nothing's up, Emma."

Unloading her stack onto another waitress passing by, Ruby placed her hand on Emma's arm and smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad you're back. We all are. It's good to see you again, really."

Despite the genuine look of affection being directed her way, Emma remained skeptical. "It doesn't feel like it right now, what with the cold breeze I've been feeling from your direction."

In response, Ruby's eyes drifted to something over Emma's shoulder. Turning around, Emma noticed that the rest of the diner had fallen silent, unabashedly watching the two women square off. Ruby took her apron off, placing it down on the counter and grabbed Emma's arm, pulling her toward the exit. "I've got a break now. Walk with me?"

More a demand than a request, Emma let herself be dragged out the door. They walked in silence for a little while, going in circles. Eventually, Emma broke the stalemate.

"So…are we ever going to talk, or—"

"I slept with Regina."

Emma stopped in her tracks, blinking in shock. "Um, what?"

Ruby turned around to face Emma, boldly restating her confession, "I slept with Regina." Rambling on in response to Emma's muteness, "Before. In the Enchanted Forest. I slept with Regina."

Snapping out of it, Emma croaked out, "Yeah, okay. You slept with Regina. Wanna tell me that one more time, just to make sure I got it?" She tried desperately to ignore how strained her voice sounded, with, pathetically, no bite to her sarcasm at all.

Placing her hands in front of her in caution, "Don't be angry."

Emma stepped forward. "Angry? Why should I be angry? I can't imagine why I might be angry about that little revelation."

"It isn't what you're thinking."

Emma bristled. "Isn't it?"

Ruby closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before replying. She knew that saying the wrong thing right now would drive Emma away for good.

"It's not. It…we…it just happened. And, you're back, and I'm feeling weird about it, which is why I can't really look at you right now."

"How did it just  _happen_?" Emma snapped. "What, you slipped and fell into her lap, face first?"

"Emma! We were drunk the first time—"

"The _first_ time?" Eyes wide and jaw hanging open a little, Emma was  _pissed_.

"It was…a semi-regular thing," Ruby softly admitted.

"Jesus."

Ruby was quick to reassure the stricken woman. "It meant nothing, though. It was just about comfort."

Emma turned quickly, intending on going back to the diner and running away from this conversation. "I really don't want to hear the details."

"Well, I didn't really want to hear your name while I was making her come, but them's the breaks," Ruby shouted at her retreating figure.

"Ruby…"

Walking up to her, Ruby gently placed a hand on Emma's back. "I won't lie to you, Em. That sucked. A lot. But it helped her, I guess." Ruby shrugged. "And it wasn't always like that."

Turning around and locking eyes with her friend, Emma asked the question she was dreading the answer to, knowing it would change things forever. "Were you in love with her?  _Are_  you in love with her?"

"No," Ruby said emphatically.

"Don't lie to me, Ruby."

Willing Emma to believe the truth, Ruby said firmly, "I'm not. I swear. We're just friends."

"Friends with benefits," Emma snorted in disbelief.

"No more benefits," Ruby asserted. "Not since we got back."

"Why?" Curiosity was going to kill the cat, but Emma couldn't resist asking.

Knowing what Emma was really asking of her, Ruby murmured, "She was using me. And I let her." Taking a deep breath and rolling her shoulders back, "I guess I was kinda using her, too, a little bit."

At Emma's look of confusion, Ruby elaborated. "No one would go near me, Emma. They were all scared of me. Being back there, the magic, the moon, it was so strong. It took me a long time to get used to it again. Regina helped me learn how to control it. She was never afraid of me. That meant something to me. Can you understand that?" Ruby looked imploringly at Emma with tears in her eyes.

"Ruby, what do you want me to say?" Emma asked finally, not sure where to go from here.

"Nothing. I just thought you should know before you found out from someone else. I can't exactly control Grumpy's loose lips," Ruby said with a quirk to her own lips, hoping to bring a little levity to the heavy conversation.

Emma looked to the ground, kicking a couple of loose pebbles as she gathered her thoughts. "Did everyone know, about you two?"

"Not really. We weren't like a couple or anything like that. But some people figured it out eventually. It was kinda embarrassing when they did."

"What do you mean?"

"It's pretty humiliating when people look at you, knowing that you're just a warm body holding the place of the damn Savior," Ruby said sharply.

Feeling suitably chastened, "I'm…I'm sorry, Rubes."

"No," Ruby said, trying to dismiss the look of pity directed her way. "It's not your fault. It is what it is." Ruby stepped forward and placed both hands on Emma's shoulders, affectionately smiling at her friend. "And anyway, I meant it when I said I'm glad you're back. I missed you."

Dropping her arms, Ruby drew herself up and took a step back. Emma sensed the abrupt change acutely. "But you gotta promise me something, okay?"

"What is it?" Emma warily asked.

"Don't fuck it up."

"Um—." Emma blinked.

"I mean it," Ruby said decisively. "You've been gone a while, and Regina…well, we've got her back. She's earned that. So don't fuck it up." And with a firm nod, Ruby turned around and headed back to the diner, leaving Emma with a sinking feeling in her gut.

* * *

Trusting that Hook could entertain Henry for a little while, Emma set off for Regina's. She knew she had to go talk to Neal at some point today, but after what happened last night and that sickening conversation with Ruby, she had to see Regina. ASAP.

Letting muscle memory do the walking for her, Emma tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and let her mind wander.

The thought of Ruby and Regina made her sick to her stomach. She had no claim on Regina, true. She was a free agent and Ruby wasn't stepping on anyone's territory. Even before Regina broke Pan's curse, there was never any indication of there being less than platonic feelings.

Or was there? Emma couldn't be sure what she felt anymore. She remembered all those nights, lying awake and feeling an aching emptiness. At the time, she couldn't pinpoint its origin, but being back in Storybrooke…well, things seemed a whole lot clearer in the light of day here.

The missing piece was Regina. She didn't know how it happened, or when it happened, or why it happened, but what Emma did know was that with whatever she was feeling right now she had finally found what's  _real_.

When she drank that memory potion, the first person she saw after a 10-year-old Henry was Regina. Her memory of that day was crystal clear as it exploded before her very eyes. She had focused on that face during her trip down memory lane, feeling an indescribable warmth wash over her, a sense of comfort and, dare she say it, safety with just the memory of Regina slotting into its rightful place.

She was so lost within her own thoughts that she startled herself when she realized that she had arrived at 108 Mifflin Street, standing next to her Bug that was sitting right where she had left it the night before. Despite being attacked by the butterflies, Emma knew it was now or never. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she strode up to the door and firmly knocked on the door.

She shuffled her feet as she waited, hearing that all too familiar click-clack of Regina's signature heels.

* * *

Hearing that telltale knock, Regina knew it was Emma at her door. She smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her dress and flipped her hair as she made her way to entrance hall. Bracing herself for the impact, Regina lifted herself to full height before she opened the door.

No less striking than she was last night, there was Emma Swan, giving her that patented crooked smile.

_Keep it together, Mills._

"Emma," Regina said warmly, her face brightening with a wide smile.

"Hi."

"Hi."

They stood there at the threshold of the door, staring at one another, drinking each other in. Neither woman made a move to break eye contact, seemingly unable to.

A car whizzed past on Mifflin Street, the exhaust backfiring and breaking the moment. Clearing her throat, Regina invited Emma into the house.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."

Emma followed Regina into the kitchen, and almost tripped over her feet like the night before when she recognized the man sitting at Regina's table. This time, however, it was Neal.

_What. The. Fuckety. Fuck is this?_

"Emma!"

_Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?_

"Yes, you did," Regina chastised, moving over to the counter to pour the coffee she had already brewed.

Emma stood stock still in the middle of the kitchen, her eyes darting from Regina's back to Neal's smirking face. It was like walking into the damn  _Twilight Zone_ , or something.

"You can sit down, you know? I don't bite," Neal said, clearly amused by Emma's reaction. Playfully giving Neal the finger, receiving a chuckle in response, Emma sat down at the table across from him, just in time for a piping hot cup to be placed right in front of her. Regina smoothly dropped into her seat at the head of the little kitchen table, content to just sip her coffee and let this all unfold on its own.

"So, were you planning on calling me to let me know you were in town?" Neal asked, a little perturbed it seemed despite his easy manner.

"Yeah," Emma hit back. "As soon as I was done here I was going to head on over to your new digs.

"Sorry about your dad, by the way," she added after a moment.

Neal's eyes clouded over briefly before he blinked it away. "Thanks.

"Where's Henry? Regina said he doesn't remember anything."

"He's with Hook."

If she wasn't already weirded out by all of this, seeing Neal and Regina's hackles rise simultaneously at what she said would've really spun her out.

"You left him with  _Hook_?" Neal asked with an edge to his tone. "You thought it was a good idea to leave a memory-less Henry with a guy who wears a costume and has more cleavage on display than Ruby and the Blue Fairy?"

"What is your problem, Neal?" Emma barked out harshly, feeling somewhat annoyed at being painted as some kind of irresponsible mother.

This scene might have once given Regina immense personal pleasure to witness. As it is, she now felt decidedly different. "Alright, let's all take a breath." Turning to Emma, whose eyes were still locked onto Neal's storming ones, "Emma, perhaps it would be unwise to leave Henry with Hook. He's not exactly the most…assimilated member of our town. It might cause some confusion and bring up questions that we aren't quite ready to answer."

Drawing her gaze toward Regina, Emma had to admit that the woman had a point. "He's the only one Henry knows here, and David and Snow are hopeless at lying," she said, feeling like she had to justify her decision in front of this eerily united parental unit in front of her.

Having had enough of all this strange shit, Emma finally asked, "Can someone tell me what the  _hell_  went on back there? Because I sure don't remember everyone holding hands and singing Kumbaya with the supposed Evil Queen over here."

Regina was struck by the casual dropping of her old moniker from Emma's lips. It had certainly been a while since anyone had called her that. Noticing the slight change in Regina's demeanor, Emma hastened to smooth things over. "Not that  _I_ think you're the Evil Queen. Like, at all. Ever. I mean, not ever. Clearly, you were  _her_  at one point, way back when. But you're not anymo—"

She broke off her rambling abruptly when she heard Neal laughing at her. It looked like Regina was even taking some pleasure in seeing her so flustered.

"Okay, okay. You've had your laughs. Hardy har har. But seriously, what did I miss?"

"When you're being harassed by a crazy witch with a bad case of the green-eyed monster, and you've got a badass Queen kicking ass and taking names, making checks and breaking necks for your side, it's a bonding experience."

"I'm fairly sure Regina wouldn't be pleased to know you just likened her to John Cena."

Neal snorted. "Please. She loves her  _Monday Night Raw_."

Emma turned back to Regina, who it seemed had found her coffee cup to be incredibly interesting right about now. "Who are you, and what have you done with Regina Mills?" Emma asked good-naturedly, liking this easy-going, softer side that she only got to rarely see in Regina.

It seemed as if a year apart had made a world of difference, for everyone. In particular, Regina, it looked like, had changed the most, letting her guard down and opening herself up to the very people she had kept at bay for decades.

The question was: Where did Emma and Henry now fit into all of this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos! 
> 
> This won't be the last time we see Ruby, but it certainly won't be in the same context.
> 
> Hope you liked this one! Let me know :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All mistakes are mine. Hope you enjoy the Swan Queen talk and some drunken tomfoolery...

With a promise to catch up later, Neal made his excuses to leave. It was obvious to all that he was trying to give the two women space and time alone to talk. With a sharp look at Regina, he drained the dregs in his cup, rinsed it out and placed it neatly into the dishwasher. Shooting a smile at Emma, he made his way around the counter and smoothly grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, sticking his hand up in goodbye as he walked out.

Emma and Regina sat awkwardly in silence, hearing the soft click of the front door echoing through into the kitchen. There was so much to say, and yet, Emma had no clue where to start. Everything she had encountered since stepping foot back into Storybrooke had been slightly bizarre, but Regina…well, what Emma had stepped into here just took the fucking cake.

"So, I'm just going to come right out and say it."

"Alright," Regina said, seemingly bracing herself for what was to come.

"You're different," Emma noted simply.

"Am I?" The slight tension in Regina's jaw was the only detectable tell that the statement had thrown the woman off. And the only reason Emma had even noticed was because she was looking for it. Regina had a damn good poker face, but Emma had been on the receiving end of it plenty of times by now to have picked up the clues.

"Uh, yeah. You're all…not Regina," Emma finished lamely with a limp wave of her hand.  _Yes, that was smart. Well done, Swan._ She only just resisted the urge to slap a palm to her face.

"And who  _is_  Regina, Emma?" She was a little perturbed by the implication hidden underneath, and she damn well made her feelings known through the deadly crispness in her tone of voice.

"I thought I knew." That was the truth of it really. The Regina Emma knew, she felt, was not the same one sitting before her now. And it was wholly unsettling trying to reconcile the two together.

"Hm."

And that was all Regina said.

"Hm? Hm? That's all you have to say?" Emma asked, a little frustrated, as the other woman collected their cups and walked toward the sink. She kept her back to Emma as she fussed over cleaning them.

"What more would you have me say?" Regina huffed out. "You have weighed and measured me, and found me wanting."

Emma rushed out of her seat, buzzing with energy as she came up behind Regina. "See!  _That_. Right there. You just quoted  _A Knight's Tale_ , lady. That's exactly what I mean. You've changed. You're so different."

Swiftly turning around, not even bothered by the water dripping from her hands, Regina pinned Emma with a sharp look, her eyes betraying her vulnerability in their shine. "Is that a bad thing?"

Emma hastened to reassure her. "No, not necessarily. But it's throwing me for a loop."

"I'm sorry," Regina said simply, looking not at all sorry about it.

Emma grimaced.  _Yeah, this is a fucking disaster._ "No. It's not you, it's me."

At that, Regina's demeanor abruptly shifted. "Are you breaking up with me?" she lazily asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Caught off guard, Emma was lost for words. "—What?"

Chuckling, Regina grabbed the nearby tea towel and dried off her hands. "'It's not you, it's me', Emma. I believe that's a clichéd brush off, no?"

Blinking out of the sudden image flashing through her mind of Regina and her being a couple and how awesome that looked, Emma blushed. "I'm only teasing," Regina clarified with a little smile before she continued on. "So, we should probably figure out what to do with Henry," quickly changing the subject onto the more important topic of discussion.

At some point they would have to sit down and talk this out, but for now, Regina was far more nervous about the situation with Henry to be concerned with Emma's issues about how much she might have changed and how that obviously unnerved the other woman.

Regina walked back to the table, feeling the need to be sitting and stable for the following conversation. Regina ached to see her little prince again, and she'd be utterly destroyed if he were kept so close, yet so far from her. She didn't know what she would do if Emma felt it best that she avoid Henry at all costs for fear of confusing their son.

"Yeah," Emma agreed, retaking her seat. "It'll be easy enough to introduce him to Neal. Henry knows who he is." Emma made a face. "Though he thinks his dad's a deadbeat. But you—that might be a hard sell."

She looked at Regina with sympathy. With the pained look openly and without reservation flashing across her face, Emma vowed then and there that she would do everything in her power to find a way to make this work. Henry didn't know Regina was his mother, but Emma was going to make sure they figured out a way to safely spend time together because that's what the kid would want, even if he didn't know it yet.

Regina acknowledged the dilemma at hand with a grimace of her own. "And your parents?" she politely asked.

"Just friends. Snow was my celly," Emma said with a grin, knowing Regina would get a kick out of it. Sure enough, Regina threw her head back and heartily laughed. Emma was awestruck at the beautifully open look on Regina's face. The column of her throat was exposed, and Emma feasted on its perfection, wishing more than anything that she could lay gentle kisses on Regina's—

She was pulled out of her ogling as the star of her daydreams spoke. "Your mother's inane idea, I'm sure."

"Mhmm," Emma confirmed. "I don't think Henry bought it, but it'll do for now."

"Am I also to be your…celly?" Regina inquired hesitantly, the word foreign on her tongue.

Emma playfully quirked her eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think Henry's going to look at your put-together self and believe that you of all people would be a criminal."

"Oh, the irony," Regina noted. "You could merely introduce me as the mayor," she suggested after a moment.

"That's a little impersonal." Emma didn't like that idea at all, and it wasn't going to help her execute her plan. "Why's a teenager going to care about spending time with the mayor?"

"I suppose one wouldn't," Regina answered a little glumly. Her shoulders dropped some and she sat back in her chair. Emma didn't like seeing such dejection and was determined to find a quick fix.

"What if…well, don't kill me. But what if I introduce you as Neal's girlfriend?"

If Regina's eyes could bug out any further, they would've surely popped out of her head by now and rolled along the kitchen table like some absurd horror movie from the 1970s. As it was, Emma was freaking out now, instantly feeling the sweat begin to bead on her forehead and lower back as she waited for Regina to say something, anything, about her sudden proposal. Any minute now, she expected an outburst from Regina.

Recovering from the shock of it, Regina looked at Emma with a look of utter disbelief. "Are you insane? Do I even  _look_  like the type who would date… _that_?"

Emma sat back in her own chair and looked across at Regina with narrowed eyes. "What the hell's that supposed to mean? I dated him."

Regina scoffed. "The man you dated is not the same person as the one who was just here. But that is neither here nor there. I doubt anyone, much less a boy like Henry, would believe that Neal and I are a couple. An odd couple, perhaps. But certainly not seriously involved."

She was truly displeased with this bright idea of Emma's. After a moment, thinking of Neal and her and how that would look, she petulantly added, "And he looks younger than me. I'd be one of those ML-whatevers."

Surprised as hell by that, Emma almost didn't catch it. "A what? You mean a  _MILF_?"

Regina sniffed. "Is that what it is? I wasn't sure."

"Don't tell me you've been watching  _American Pie_."

Regina shook her head, but made a mental note to see if that title could be found on Netflix – for research purposes, of course. "I overheard a conversation between a few of those boys who used to be in Henry's old class…I wasn't sure what it meant, but there was a rather crude gesture that went along with it, so I made my conclusions from there."

Emma laughed, finding that to be entirely amusing. That was totally something kids Henry's age would say about Regina. She definitely was a mom _she'd_  like to— _not now._ Later tonight when she was in bed, she'd revisit that thought, but for now, she needed to get her head back in the game.

"Yeah well, I think in this case you'd be more of a 'sugar mama' than a MILF."

Regina sneered. "Well I certainly know what  _that_  is, and I'll have you know that since Rumple's death, Neal Cassidy is the wealthiest person in town. That would make me a 'gold digger' instead, would it not?"

With a triumphant look at having gotten her modern references correct, Regina, with a self-satisfied smirk, crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Emma's retort, enjoying the easy banter despite the heavy conversation looming over them at present.

Emma conceded the point with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Okay, smarty-pants. You got any better ideas on how to get Henry to spend some time with you without it looking weird?"

Regina pondered on the question for a bit, mulling over the options available to them. Henry could be a smart boy when his hero complex didn't blind him, and he had often seen through Regina's subterfuge easily. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Emma's next brilliant idea.

"We could always tell him we used to date…or that we're dating now," Emma said, trying with all her might to say that as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Regina would buy her false easiness.

Unluckily for her, Regina saw right through her scheme. Emma had issues to sort out when it came to their relationship, platonic or otherwise. It wouldn't do to complicate it any further by adding romantic undertones to their interactions in front of their son. It was already a messy situation, and Regina knew that neither one of them would emerge unscathed if they went along with Emma's suggestion.

"No," she said firmly. "I don't think that would be wise," choosing not to elaborate any further, knowing that Emma would know exactly what she was talking about.

"Neal and I will…date." The word came out sounding uncomfortable, but Emma wasn't about to rock the boat. This was for Henry after all, and she knew all three of his parents would work together to be there for the kid no matter how difficult it would be.

"Great! I'll talk to Neal about it and we'll get the ball rolling asap."

Emma was infinitely pleased with her plan. Sure, her and Regina dating would've been the better option by far in her mind—and she was a tad bummed that Regina didn't go for it, just as an excuse to spend time together, the two of them and Henry—but this would still work. It might be a little weird for everyone involved at first, but it would smoothen out soon enough.

As odd as it was for Emma to witness, clearly, Neal and Regina were friends, so it's not like the woman would truly detest his company. Far from it actually, from the looks of their companionable interactions earlier. But she supposed that fake-dating a friend who used to date the woman you're kinda, sort of, maybe, possibly connected to at a deeper level might be a touch out there, even by Storybrooke's standards.

Before Emma could lead the conversation back to more personal matters, the doorbell rang, signaling an invasion into their little bubble.

"Ah, that would be Robin," Regina said with an apologetic expression at seeing Emma's downturned face. "I offered to look after his son for the afternoon."

Taking her cue to exit stage left, Emma got up to follow Regina to the door. If she got to enjoy the view while having to leave prematurely, well then that was all the better.  _Madam Mayor is still looking fab-u-lous._

* * *

"She's still the Mayor?" Emma asked, slurring a little. She had been sitting there catching up with Neal and Ruby, which really meant drinking lots of alcohol and being teased about Hook's persistent puppy-dog routine.

He'd tried to stick around when Emma was cooking up dinner for her and Henry, offering to help her chop or clean or something—the  _something_ made beyond clear. Mother and son just stared at the man—Emma, utterly bewildered that Hook would try to gain her affections in that sleazy way of his right in front of her son; Henry, with confusion, because the man had one hand and a  _hook_  in place of the other. He had nothing against amputees, but the dude was weird, straight up.

It's needless to say, but she swiftly sent him packing, so not in the mood for this bullshit.

It was nearing 10 pm when Ruby had called to invite her out for drinks at the Rabbit Hole. She didn't really want to leave Henry again, but the kid insisted she go out and "live a little," going straight to bed without another word. Emma knew that he was practically pushing her out the door because he was itching to pull out his handheld gaming system to play uninterrupted to his heart's content, or until he passed out, whichever came first; usually the latter.

Nevertheless, here she was, squashed in between Neal and Ruby, both women on the way to getting utterly toasted, while Neal took his time slowly sipping on his beer knowing he'd have to drive them home later. It was slightly awkward at first between Ruby and Emma, what with their little talk hanging between them. But Ruby's invitation served as an olive branch that Emma was all too willing to take up after the initial stilted conversation had been loosened up by the alcohol.

She realized how much she had missed nights like these with Ruby, and both women silently agreed to try to put the Regina thing behind them and move on forward. After all, Ruby had basically given Emma her 'blessing'. Not that she needed it, of course. But it was still nice to know that there would be no ill will between them once Emma got her shit together.

However, that wasn't to say that the high-heeled, sexy-faced, Mayoral elephant in the room wasn't hanging around in the corner right now. In fact, both Neal and Ruby had been wondering all night when Emma would finally burst. Trust Emma Swan to just randomly put it out there right in the middle of a conversation about Leroy's latest drunken fuck up while trying to (unsuccessfully) convince Nova to break her vows.

Ruby quickly shifted gears and answered with a one-shouldered shrug, "We put it to a vote, but it went uncontested. No one else really knew how to deal with all the paperwork, and I guess people liked having Regina as their mayor the first time around. Someone went around posting up flyers with the slogan,  _Vote Mills: She got shit done_."

Emma spat out her drink, while Neal vigorously laughed. He had had a bunch of those flyers stuck up in front of his dad's old shop. He'd have to dig one up for Emma. That picture of Regina with her lip curled in disdain, printed on bright neon pink paper with Comic Sans font across the top and bottom had to be seen to be believed.

"If you ask me," Ruby continued, totally unfazed by Emma's incredulity. "I think Snow enlisted the dwarves as Regina's covert PR team."

Emma threw her hands up, her drink sloshing all over Neal. "I come back and Regina's Miss Congeniality."

Wiping his face off with his shirt, Neal noted, "I'm sensing some hostility there, Em."

"Perhaps a bit of jealousy?" Ruby added.

"I am not hostile." Emma fixed Neal with a piercing look that didn't really have much of an effect in the state that she was currently in. "Or jealous," she pointedly threw at Ruby. The girl had the good sense to take it for what it was, slightly inclining her head to Emma in acknowledgement.

"Then what are you?" Neal asked. "Because clearly, you've got some kind of a problem with Regina."

Emma grumbled. "I don't have a problem with her. It's not that."

But Emma didn't elaborate any further, hailing down the barkeep instead to get a refill for her mysteriously empty glass. She suspected Ruby must've downed it while she had turned away. That bitch, taking things that don't belong to her.

After making her way through another two drinks, Emma's tongue loosened up enough for her to spill the beans.

"It's just…I thought…When I drank that potion, and all of my memories came back…even though I had spent a whole year away in New York, it felt like I had only just left Storybrooke behind, you know?" she looked at her drinking buddies for some sympathy, dammit.

Finding none (because Ruby and Neal had zero idea how to respond to that in a way that Emma would find appropriate for her needs at this moment in time), she ignored them altogether and belabored the point she had already made earlier.

"Then! And then! Just imagine my surprise when I come back and see that everyone in town is Regina's BFF!" She viciously slapped her hand down on the table for emphasis, missing the table entirely and banging the tips of her fingers against the edge of it.  _OUCH._

Neal and Ruby exchanged a look unseen over Emma's head as she tended to the pain coursing through her fingers. "So…your problem is that Regina has friends?" Ruby finally asked.

"No. Yes. No! I don't know." Emma slumped against the booth seat. She was drunk, horny and now her fingers were throbbing. No me, myself, and I action tonight. Her coordination was wack anyway. She'd probably end up working herself into frustration rather than the climax she so desperately wished to chase.

"Emma, talk to us," Neal insisted. His ex-girlfriend was clearly struggling with something, and if they didn't get to the bottom of it, Emma was likely to spiral out, or run away.

"I was the only one who really knew her." Emma said it so quietly that Neal and Ruby almost didn't catch it over the din of the bar.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

Slumping even further into her seat, Emma was so not comfortable with this conversation, but there was no going back now. "Everyone else only saw the Evil Queen, but I saw  _her_ , you know? Regina. I saw  _Regina_."

"And now everyone else sees what you saw…" Ruby concluded.

"Yeah…" Emma sighed deeply. It was out there, and she now felt pathetic for even thinking it. She should be happy to see everyone had buried the hatchet with the Evil Queen and were comfortable and friendly with Regina. She had left the Evil Queen behind long ago, and it was about damn time people acknowledged that.

But still, it sucked.  _A lot._  And Emma rationally knew that it was petty of her to feel this way about it. But who the hell was thinking rationally seven drinks into the night?

"Don't like to share your toys, Em?" Neal teased, trying to break the tension in the air.

Still feeling vulnerable and exposed, Emma was quick to snap back. "Regina is not a toy."

"No, she's not," Neal conceded, but it was time for some home truths. "And if you pulled your head out of your own ass for a minute, you'd be happy for her instead of sitting here moping into your beer because you're not the special snowflake who  _'saw Regina'_  anymore." With an elaborate eye roll, Neal downed the rest of his beer and sauntered off to the bathroom.

Emma gaped at him, yelling across the bar to his retreating back, uncaring that she was causing a scene. "I'm not a special snowflake!"

"Yes, you are, Savior," called out some helpful soul who sounded a little like Bashful, maybe. Emma couldn't tell, she was beyond embarrassed at having every pair of eyes in the entire bar looking her way and had quickly ducked underneath the table, somehow deciding that that was far less humiliating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's been doing the whole "Swan Queen pretends to be lovers or exes so Regina can spend time with Henry." But I wanted to try something different. 
> 
> What do you think of Neal? 
> 
> Keep in mind what I said in an earlier chapter...there ain't no love triangles here ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, y'all, a familiar face makes an appearance, some Regina/Neal friendship scenes and meeting Henry...hope you like it!

There were many advantages to living in this realm, but none so greater than the Internet. Sure, modern bathrooms were nice, electricity was amazing and the medicines here were a godsend. But the Internet… _oh_ …

Every morning was spent pouring over the news while sipping coffee and nibbling on breakfast. Inevitably, tab after tab would be open with different bits of information and videos and pictures ready and waiting to be consumed voraciously. If these computers didn't strain one's eyes, you could spend hours and hours just glued to it, absorbing everything this world had to offer.

It was while partaking in this daily morning ritual that Belle was interrupted by a sharp knock at her door. Her eyes darted to the corner of the screen; she saw that time had gotten away from her once again. Closing the laptop, she grabbed her now cold coffee and quickly finished it off before moving towards the front of the house.

At her door was, surprisingly, none other than Regina Mills.

"Do close your mouth, dear. It's unbecoming of a lady."

Rolling her eyes at Regina's bullshit, Belle stepped back and opened the door to give Regina a wider berth. "Do come in, Regina. Try not to scare Boxer again. It took me over an hour to get him to come out from underneath the stairs after your last visit."

Regina chuckled, amused by the memory of it, as she unbuttoned her pea coat and hung it up. "Oh, please. That mangy animal is scared of his own shadow."

It was unusual to see Regina grace her doorstep; she certainly had little interest in stepping foot in Rumple's home if she could help it. The last time she was here was over three months ago. Regina had stormed over to the house, fuming that Belle hadn't shown up for work. Bursting into the bedroom, Regina had found Belle cuddled up in her covers with Boxer and what looked like a hundred used tissues littered about the bed. Trying to separate dog from owner was a Herculean task. It took a cameo appearance of the Evil Queen to send Boxer scurrying away in terror.

Not that Belle fared much better. Regina wasn't exactly the most nurturing of nursemaids—especially considering their relationship was not exactly sweet as candy. Belle had taken great pleasure—when things had calmed down after the witch had been killed—in chewing out the Queen for locking her up the way she did. Surprisingly, Regina had offered Belle a genuine apology, and they slowly began to maintain polite relations. They'd never be friends, not when she had spent 28 years in that dank, dark room all by herself—some things one couldn't forget. But Belle, at the very least, had a great respect for what Regina had accomplished here in Storybrooke.

While the Charming-Swan-Mills family had gone off to Neverland, Belle had had to take over from where Regina left off. It was easy enough at first; Regina kept meticulous records, and everything was organized so exceptionally well that it hadn't taken long to get the hang of things. But while Belle prided herself on her intelligence, the sheer volume of legislation and regulations and fine print she had to work with just to get one measly thing done was a daily nightmare. Sure, she was a quick study, but it was just overwhelming, and no one in Storybrooke could've been happier than Belle was when Regina stepped off that boat.

After the witch had been dealt with, and Storybrooke returned to relative normal, Belle had slammed the door in Regina face time and time again while she was still deep in mourning. In fact, she had done just that to everybody else, too—even Ruby. But Belle could no longer ignore Regina when she had decided to appear in a plume of purple smoke in the middle of her bedroom. The covers were unceremoniously ripped off her body and Regina then threw a stack of files on the bed, telling her to pull herself together and get back to work. The town had elected her as Deputy Mayor in absentia.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Belle asked as she led Regina into the sitting area. Regina declined to sit, as she always did when in this house.

"It's not you I'm here for. Where is Neal?" Regina looked about the room as if he was just going to show up from behind the couch.

"He's upstairs in his room, I think. He hasn't come down yet," Belle answered, still as confused as ever that Neal and Regina were even friendly, let alone friends. She supposed stranger things had happened in this little town.

"I can go get him if you want to wait here," Belle offered.

Regina shook her head. "No, that isn't necessary. I'll see to it myself. His room is to the far left, yes?" Belle nodded in confirmation. Whatever it was that Regina was up to, she wanted no part of it, so she let Regina go off on her own to harass Neal.  _That's karma for taping over The Daily Show last week._

* * *

"Wait, what's wrong with that shirt?"

"I would never date a man who wore  _plaid_. Please."

This back and forth had gone on all morning. Neal would suggest something; Regina would swiftly shoot it down, turning her nose up and throwing the offending item across the room, lest it be near her person for a moment longer.

"Regina! C'mon! We've been at this for ages. Just pick something! They can't all be bad." Neal had had enough. How hard could it be to pick out a pair of pants and a shirt for a casual lunch?

"May I remind you that we're meeting Henry today? You might be taking this lightly, but I certainly am not."

Regina was in no mood for this. This farce was grating on her nerves and it hadn't even begun yet. The very idea of lying to her son was bothering her more than she was letting on. What would Henry think once he regained his memories and realized that the last however many weeks he'd been in Storybrooke, all of his parents—but especially Regina—had lied to him?  _Again_.

She was terrified. Regina was  _terrified_. She couldn't handle another rejection, not after how mother and son had left off. She didn't know how she would be able to handle being the villain again.

"Hey," Neal softly said, getting up and coming over to Regina, who had been staring off into space in his walk-in. "Regina. Come out of your head and talk to me."

He lightly clasped her hand and led her to sit on his bed. They sat side by side for some time, Regina processing her thoughts and Neal giving her the space to do it, knowing she'd speak when she was good and ready to.

While Charming and Regina had developed a close familial relationship of sorts, and Robin was a frequent drinking buddy of Regina's, Neal and Regina had a close bond unlike anyone else in town. They both shared in the misery of being without their son, and to some extent, the misery of being without Emma—though Neal's pain was because that ship had sailed a long time ago…and Emma was Regina's now. Sort of. Soon, perhaps.

Regina had resisted for some time, of course. The man who impregnated Emma and left her in jail was high up on her shit list. But Neal was undeterred by Regina's prickly exterior. Her aloofness was just a cover, and he was not about to let her stew in stoic silence. Getting Regina to open up was also a good distraction from losing his father. It gave him something to focus on, preventing the avalanche of bitter emotion from engulfing him when thinking about all that he had gained and lost in such a short space of time. He had everything and then nothing in the blink of an eye. Much like Regina.

They didn't have much in common, but their lives had been entwined long before they had ever even met. Many a night would find Neal and Regina sharing a bottle or two of wine between them as they talked about their complicated relationships with Rumple, about Henry's childhood, Bae's adventures before becoming Neal, the Evil Queen's warpath and…Emma.

They talked about Emma  _a lot_. It was as if Regina relished being able to openly talk about her to someone who knew exactly what she was feeling. She had kept much of her thoughts about Emma Swan tightly concealed, even with Neal at first. But little by little, she opened up, often with three-quarters of a bottle consumed before she could drum up the courage to spill the proverbial beans.

_"_ _We spent so long at each other's throats…poor Henry caught in the middle…"_

_"_ _Emma's never had the easy road in life."_

_"_ _Yes. Neither have most of us it seems."_

_"_ _True. But you'll find your Tallahassee soon."_

_"_ _Excuse me?"_

_"_ _Tallahassee. Your happy place."_

_"…_ _Is that why Emma was there for so long? To…find her 'Tallahassee'…to find…you?"_

_"_ _She…she went there after she got out? I didn't—"_

_"_ _Perhaps if you went back to New York—"_

_"_ _I'm going to stop you right there, Regina. Stop being a chicken shit. Emma's your Tallahassee. And you're hers. She just doesn't know it yet."_

_"_ _Oh yes, the woman I've tried to kill, whose parents I've tried to kill, whose grandfather I had murdered…Yes. That very same woman is going to fall madly in love with me. I can just see it now."_

_"_ _It's True Love—"_

_"_ _Don't speak to me of True Love, Neal Cassidy. When has fate ever worked in my favor?"_

_"_ _It brought you Henry—"_

_"_ _Yes, so that he could bring the Savior to town to destroy me!"_

_"_ _Maybe…but I'd like to think the Savior was fated to destroy the Evil Queen…and in the process, to save you, Regina…"_

"What if this is all blows up in our faces, Neal? Henry hates lies."

He pondered on that for a moment. It was true; Henry was intolerant of people lying to him. He couldn't stand it, and Neal, for his part, didn't feel all that comfortable with faking it either. But Emma and he had agreed that Henry needed to spend time with Regina. What better way to spend time with Henry than supposedly being his future stepmother? Henry probably wouldn't take to his father easily, that much they all knew. But maybe Regina's presence would somehow subliminally affect Henry, spark some kind of feeling or memory, perhaps?

"Regina, I'm not happy about this. But what else can we do? Last Henry knew I abandoned his mother. He's not going to want to spend time with me, unless there's a buffer. And this is the perfect way to have you spend as much time with him as possible."

Sighing heavily, the last vestiges of Regina's resistance ebbed away. The desire to see her son again was too strong a pull to deny. "Alright, but at the first sign of trouble—"

"—We abort mission. Got it," Neal finished off, giddy that Regina was on board. "Now, let's pick out an outfit my love! Our son awaits!" Neal dodged Regina's outstretched arm as she motioned to slap the back of his head. He leaped up and bounded over into the walk-in, picking up one of his better button-ups and a waistcoat from the back of his closet.

"Would the great Regina Mills be seen with a man who wears  _this_?" Neal held it up over his body, waggling his eyebrows at her until she caved to his playful mood.

Regina couldn't roll her eyes hard enough, but even she couldn't deny the quirking of her lips just that little bit.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting."

Regina was a tightly coiled ball of nerves as her and Neal made their way to Granny's. Emma had texted to confirm that Henry and her had arrived at the diner and were waiting for them. Henry was none the wiser as to the surprise that awaited him. She had merely told him that there were a couple of people she wanted him to meet, and Henry, figuring he'd be introduced to a lot of 'old friends' of his mother's while they were here, just shrugged and said 'Cool'.

Neal stopped a few meters away from the diner, turning around to Regina. "It's going to be fine. And even if it isn't, we'll manage. Henry is going to be so focused on being pissed at me that he's not even going to bother to look for holes in our story."

Nodding once, Regina took a deep breath, letting out the tension as best as she could. It wouldn't do to be nervous. She had to concentrate or else she'd slip up.

"Yes. Fine. You're right. Let's—let's do this," Regina said, feigning confidence. She moved around Neal to get to the door but was held up by a hand on her upper arm.

Neal looked at her sheepishly. "Um, we should probably walk in there holding hands." Regina's eyes widened. "You know…for authenticity."

Resistance was futile, she knew. The show must go on. Regina held out her hand and Neal slipped his fingers between hers. He led the way to the diner, stopping momentarily before he opened the door by the firm squeeze of Regina's hand in his. They shared a charged look. It was now or never, and they had each other's backs, there was no doubt.

* * *

The diner fell silent. All eyes stared at the two newcomers at the door. Henry was busy making his way through his huge burger and fries, but even he couldn't ignore the weird vibe in the place. He put his cutlery down gently and wiped his mouth— _because manners were important_. The pretty lady's eyes locked onto his. He'd never met her before, but he could swear he knew her from somewhere.

He watched as they slowly made their way across the diner, realizing that they were heading over to his table. These must be the two people his mom wanted him to meet. He looked over at his mom. She was all nervous energy all morning, but now, she was still, eyes locked onto the couple…specifically their hands intimately held and swinging between them as they walked over.  _Interesting._

"Hi," the guy said to Henry. He looked over at him before addressing his mom. "Emma, it's so good to see you."

His mom relaxed a little. "Hey, I'm glad you could make it. Please, sit," she gestured to the other side of the booth, "Henry was starving, but I waited till you guys got here." There was something awkward about the way his mom was talking to them. He guessed there was a lot of water under the bridge, or something, between them all. And the way his mom was staring at them holding hands...there was more to this than they'd ever let on to him, Henry bet.

After Ruby had come and taken their orders, the table fell silent. Henry continued munching away at his meal. The adults would eventually crack. In the meantime, he'd enjoy his food while it was still warm.

It was his mom that pulled the trigger. "Henry," she called softly, putting her hand on his to halt his movements. "Henry, this…this is your father." He saw all three of them at the table wince at that just being laid out there all of a sudden.

His mom was saying something, but all Henry could hear was white noise, and the whole diner fell away into nothingness because all he could see was  _him_. This guy was his dad.  _Holy shit._  He'd sometimes wondered what he looked like. What he did for a living, who he was, whether he had another family. Normal stuff. His mom didn't like to talk about him much. All he knew was that his dad left his mom to take the fall for his crimes—

"You—you let my mom go to jail for you!" Henry burst out, standing up and attracting the attention of everyone in the diner. He was  _fuming_. How dare this guy just show up and act all casual with his mom!

"Henry," his mom tried to get his attention, but Henry's eyes wouldn't budge from his father's. "Henry," she said more firmly, finally pulling his piercing gaze to focus on her own. "I know this is a huge shock to you. But there's a lot you don't know."

Henry huffed. "What else is there to know, mom? He left you. He left us."

The guy leaned over the table, imploring Henry to look at him again. "Henry, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't mean much to you right now, but believe me when I say that I would have done things differently if I could've. I—"

Henry wasn't interested in whatever his father had to say right now. He was angry, and he damn well wasn't in any state of mind to hear his apologies. Henry leapt up again and rushed out the door, running down the street and trying to put as much distance between him and whatever the hell that was about. He didn't get very far as all three of them caught up with him in no time.  _How the hell…?_

"Henry—"

"Who's that?" Henry interrupted, pointing to the lady standing between his parents.

His mom ignored his question. "Henry, running away like that is not the way to deal with a problem."

"Sorry, mom," sounding not at all sorry about it. The lady flinched at that. Maybe his attitude was putting her off. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, so he rushed to introduce himself properly like his mom had taught him. He stuck his hand out for a shake. "Hi, I'm Henry."

The lady hesitated, coming forward towards him. Was she trying to hug him?  _This town sure is friendly_. She then took off her glove, her soft hands gentle as she shook his hand. "Hello, Henry. I'm Regina. It's very nice to meet you."

* * *

"She's the Mayor of this town, kid," Emma said proudly, "and she wanted to meet you." Emma was overjoyed that Henry seemed genuinely open to Regina.

"Cool, I guess."

"Your mother's told me so much about you. I hear you like school, and that you're good at English," Regina quickly said, not wanting to lose this moment with her son. He'd grown up so much…

"Um, yeah," Henry said, coloring a little. "I like to read," he shrugged. He'd never had anyone other than his mom and his teachers care about that sort of stuff.

"So…uh, are you like…dating my dad?" Henry asked after a moment.

They all froze. This was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel like this is a good place to stop. 
> 
> I'd love to know what you (yes, you...) thought about the goings on in this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here we go. I think Henry gets a bad rap in canon (the ol' plot device), so here, he's a little quicker on the uptake. Hope you enjoy being in his headspace for a little bit!

Henry rolled his eyes.  _Stupid._  "That was such a dumb question. You guys were holding hands,  _duh._  So how long have you been together? Are you guys married? Where'd you meet?"

"Whoa, Henry. One question at a time, buddy," his mom said, chuckling—a little falsely if he was reading her right.

Henry dipped his head, feigning innocence. "Sorry. I'm just curious."

That was partly true. Sure, he was kinda curious about it all, obviously that was natural given the situation, even if he was pissed at the guy for what he had done.

But it all clicked in moments ago that this must be the reason they were in Storybrooke. His mom wasn't working a case like she had said. She was here to introduce him to his dad.

The thing was, though, he'd always been a sore subject, pretty much off-limits, so what gives now?

And his girlfriend?

Try as he might, Henry couldn't put his finger on why Regina was so familiar to him. He couldn't stop looking at her, his eyes drew back to those soft brown ones that had been locked on him since the moment she'd walked into the diner. Those eyes looking—not just at him—but through him, as if she was trying to soak up every detail, seen or unseen.

And if that wasn't suspicious, then the fact that she was genuinely interested in him was a clue, right?

Henry was a smart kid and didn't need much help with his homework. Instead, his mom focused on teaching him what she called 'practical life skills'. She had learned them the hard way because of how she grew up and because of her job. And while—unlike his mother—Henry had grown up in a safe and secure home with a parent who fiercely loved and protected him, living in New York was still dangerous, even in the nicest of areas like where they lived.

So Henry had learned to be savvy about the people around him—with Regina, he felt confident in his read of her character. It didn't seem like she cared just because she was dating his dad; his mom's dates were all phonies.

And she had actually been talking to his mom about school and what he liked…what was  _that_  about? Where they, like, friends? Was his mom  _seriously_ friends with his dad's girlfriend? What?

The fact that his mom had so many friends in general was surprising. She didn't really have a whole lot back home, which seemed strange considering she had so many here in Storybrooke. How long had she been here exactly when he was just a baby?

And why was Neal here now? He obviously lived here if he was dating the mayor. Now that seemed like a strange coincidence.

Henry wasn't his mother's son for nothing—he knew there was something fishy going on here, and he had to gather intel about these two to find out where his mom figured in all of this. There was a whole heap of stuff all three together were keeping from him, and Henry was going to get to the bottom of it.

Plus, if it helped keep his mom away from his dad, that was a bonus.

He'd seen the way she looked at them…and Henry didn't like it. There's no way he'd let this dude weasel into their lives, into his mother's life, as if they could just pick up and be happy families because this guy provided some DNA. He'd break her heart, just like he did all those years ago…and he'd be breaking Regina's too.

For some reason, the thought of Regina being sad sent a sharp pang through his chest. He didn't know her, he didn't. But he felt close to her, which was totally freaking weird. Maybe she knew him as a baby when his mom lived here?

Whatever. He'd find out eventually. Operation Hide-and-Seek was on. Wait, maybe he needed a less obvious codename…

Henry was torn from his thoughts when he looked up and realized that he'd been stuck in his own head while everyone was looking at him worriedly and waiting.

"Henry?" his mom asked tentatively, seeing that Henry was back from wherever he had gone.

"Yeah?"

"Is—do you—are you alright?" His mom ducked her head down a little to catch his eyes, probably trying to work her superpower on him when he answered her question.

"I don't know. Should I be?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, eyes piercing and thoughtful.

"Well…he's my dad…but he's not really, you know?" He saw Neal wince a little at that, but so what? It was true.

"It's just been me and mom, and like, all of a sudden, there's this guy…who wasn't there my whole life and now he's here, and there's you, and it's just—I don't know…"

"I see," Regina said simply, almost deliberately devoid of emotion.

It was Henry's turn to wince. "I'm sorry." He didn't really know what he was apologizing for, but he didn't want Regina to think he had a problem with her personally.

"No, there's no need to apologize, Henry," Neal said. Henry scowled in his direction. Neal, though, while uncomfortable under Henry's stern gaze, persevered.

"It's a lot to take in all at once. I don't want to upset you, so if you want to hang out and talk about it, I would appreciate that. But if you need your space, then that's cool too. No pressure."

He smiled widely at Henry, his eyes warm and open. For the first time, Henry really looked at Neal. It was hard to reconcile the image he had of his father (from the few bits of information his mom let slip) with the guy standing in front of him.

He looked so put together and mature. He'd clearly cleaned up his act at some point and it showed. Plus, Henry didn't think a classy-looking lady Regina would be dating a deadbeat who thieved because he couldn't hold onto a damn job.

Looking at him so intently made Neal squirm under the scrutiny. Henry observed the light sheen of sweat that was beginning to form on his brow and the way he was subtly shifting from foot to foot. It didn't escape his notice when Regina placed her hand on his back and kept it there.

Clearly, it was a stabilizing force because Neal seemed instantly comforted by the strength of her presence. He watched as Neal released the breath he was holding in and relaxed his position, as if now ready for Henry's verdict, whatever it might be.

So what was the verdict exactly? What did he want? Did he want space? Did he want to talk? Henry wasn't sure anymore.

His mom had obviously talked to his dad and maybe sorted out their issues, because she seemed on board with all of this. But when had that happened? Had Neal come to New York to see his mom first? How long ago had that visit been for Regina and his mom to have met too and talked about him?

Henry had so many more questions, for his mom, for Neal, for Regina. If he was going to get to the bottom of all of this, Henry needed a bit of time to put it all together and come up with a plan.

He finally looked away from Neal and to the worried eyes of his mother. He shrugged and gave her a crooked smile. "I think I need some space, just to like think, you know?"

Emma smiled at her son, trying to reassure and comfort him at the same time, knowing from experience how jumbled your thoughts got when meeting a long-lost parent for the first time. She hadn't exactly eased Henry into it, which made her want to slap her own forehead right about now when she thought about the way she had just blurted it out back in the diner.

Emma looked to Neal and Regina, getting a nod in response to her unspoken question. "Take all the time you need, kid. Seriously. Do you want to go back to the B&B?"

Henry shook his head. "No. I might go for a walk, check out that beach. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Emma said, stepping forward and ruffling his hair a little. Henry twisted away from the attention, but a peal of laughter came out, lifting the collective hearts of all three parents.

"Be careful though, okay? And be back before sundown."

With no villains and their ridiculous vendettas terrorizing Storybrooke, Emma felt safe in letting Henry wander off on his own. She had never let him do it in New York, or wherever else they had stayed in her fake memories of their life together, but he wouldn't get into much trouble here—not if Regina had anything to say about it.

She had called a town meeting yesterday to give everyone a rundown on the Henry situation. Emma had been hung over from the night before, so she had let Regina do all the talking. Just as well too, because everyone had readily agreed to whatever their mayor had to say after she told them, in no uncertain terms, that if they so much as looked at Henry in a suspicious way, there would be hell to pay.

And by that she meant a whole bunch of red tape and conveniently misplaced paperwork the next time they needed something from the Mayor's office.

She may not be the Evil Queen anymore, but Regina Mills was still an imposing figure. With everyone on board, and the story straight, Emma wasn't concerned about Henry going off on his own. So after a quick hug with her son—and with a wave to Regina, Emma noticed—Henry turned away, pulling out his headphones before he turned the corner and was out of sight.

* * *

Emma dropped heavily onto the sofa. The heaviness of their aborted lunch meeting was wearing on her, and seeing Henry go from upset to just plain confused tore at her. The poor kid.

Neal lingered at the doorway while Regina went straight over to the wet bar, pouring them all a drink. It was five o'clock somewhere.

She handed off the glasses before gracefully sitting down in the armchair diagonal to Emma.

The silence stretched on for some time, each sipping on their drinks while ruminating on how it went with Henry. Not that it had been a spectacular failure, but it was the ambiguity of it all that unsettled them. They didn't really know where Henry sat with all the new information—Henry probably didn't even know himself, which was a source of distress for his parents who were troubled about burdening him with a weighty emotional crisis such as this one.

It was Neal who finally broke the silence. "So that went…okay."

"Yes," was all Regina said.

Neal looked to Emma, who was steadfastly ignoring the both of them with her head back and eyes closed, drink already finished before he and Regina had even gotten halfway.

"I should go," he said suddenly, feeling as if Emma needed some space herself—space meaning time alone with Regina. He knew she'd stay closed off in his presence. They were on better terms, of course, but he recognized that this was a time where whatever Emma needed, Regina was better equipped at handling.

Emma lazily opened one eye and stuck up her hand in goodbye, while Regina simply nodded, placing her unfinished drink on the side table (with a coaster, of course) before rising to see Neal to the door.

He wordlessly crossed the threshold until he felt Regina's hand in the crook of his elbow halting his progress. Neal turned around and waited for Regina to noiselessly close the door behind her and step outside herself.

"I'm sorry," Regina said.

Stunned, Neal was slow to respond. "Uh, what? Why?"

"That must've been hard for you, earlier," she elaborated. "The way Henry responded to you with such aggression and uncertainty. It must've been hard," she repeated, looking down to the ground for a moment before lifting her eyes back to Neal's.

"Regina…" Neal breathed out, chest constricting. He stepped forward, inches from her face. She offered him a grim smile. Words couldn't express how deeply he understood where she was coming from now. Long ago she had twice been pushed aside by the son she had raised his whole life, fighting for forgiveness and scraps of his attention while he easily welcomed Emma and Neal into his life at first sight.

He had seen the way Henry had looked at him with such open suspicion and disdain. All deserved, of course, for who was Neal but a stranger to Henry who had abandoned his mother and, unknowingly, abandoned his son? Troublingly, that hadn't been much of a problem for Henry back then when they had actually first met.

"Regina," he said again with more conviction. "I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't even realize—I mean, we never talked before about it, when I first came to Storybrooke. Then Neverland happened and the Witch…we never talked about it."

A deep frown etched its way across his face. The shoe was on the other foot.

Regina reached out, squeezing his forearm. "I know."

And she did know, because it was written clearly over his face how hard her words had hit him. With a quick nod, she stepped back and the moment was over.

Taking the cue, Neal changed the subject, "You going to be okay with Emma?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. She's like Henry in many ways."

They shared a smile and then Neal took off down the path, finally giving him privacy to allow the stinging in his eyes to water over.

Regina returned to the living room, finding Emma unmoved from her position. She only made it halfway back to the armchair before Emma finally burst out of her funk.

Sitting up, she searched Regina's eyes for answers. "Did we do the right thing?"

"I don't know, Emma. But it needed to be done. Better to come from us than from some idiot in town who can't keep their mouth shut. He'd be angry at you and Neal, on top of confused and distressed."

"You're right," Emma sighed. "I know you're right, but that still sucked."

"Quite," Regina agreed, going the rest of the way to her chair and sitting down again.

"So now what?"

Reaching over for her drink, Regina said, "Now, we wait."

There was a pause.

"Waiting sucks."

Regina chuckled, meeting Emma's eyes as she laughed right along with her, breaking the tension in the room most helpfully.

"So what do we do while we wait?" Emma asked, hoping to draw Regina into some playful banter.

The look on Regina's face was more heated than Emma was expecting. Gulping noticeably, Emma shifted in her seat, her stomach flipping and her tight jeans suddenly unbearably uncomfortable.

Now that she had acknowledged her connection to the other woman, she recognized what this feeling was—one she'd had many times in the past before Pan's curse. Then she had thought it was uneasiness in the presence of such an intimating woman…that was still true, but it had taken on a new, defined edge. One that Emma couldn't easily ignore.

She cleared her throat, hoping against hope that the heat she felt in her cheeks wasn't manifesting a bright rosy complexion, giving her away to the hypnotic woman sitting across from her.

Regina was amused, but as always, her face didn't show it. With her drink now sorely needing replenishing, she flicked her wrist, conjuring the bottle in her hand in a puff of purple smoke. Pouring herself another glass, she offered Emma a refill.

She declined, but watching Regina so free with her magic gave her an idea.

"Will you teach me magic?"

Regina had earlier been congratulating herself on her poker face, so she would've surely kicked herself if she could see her face now. Eyes wide, lips parted in surprise, glass halfway to her lips.

Recovering, Regina stumbled over her words before settling on: "Huh?"

Emma only just stopped herself from giggling at the ineloquent response from such a normally eloquent woman, rejoicing internally that she had the power to reduce Regina to such a state.

"I'm back in Storybrooke now, which means I have magic again. And I can't always control it like you can," Emma said, gesturing to the bottle sitting on the table beside Regina. "But if we teamed up, if you taught me, then I could, you know, at least be prepared the next time some forgotten relative decides to exact revenge on us all for something that happened 50 years ago."

Rolling her eyes at the idea of it, Emma was pleased to see it brought a smile to Regina's face, rather than putting a damper on her light mood.

Putting her drink aside, Regina smoothly dropped her arms on the edge of the seat's armrests, a move oddly reminiscent of Emma's first day in Storybrooke when she had been unknowingly drawn into hurting Henry as he stood outside of Regina's office.

So much had changed since then. Now, instead of fighting over Henry, they were working together as co-parents. Instead of constantly butting heads, they were amiable. Instead of this move being an outward expression of her smug superiority, that mischievous smirk on Regina's face was challenging in a different way.

If Emma was being honest, the whole image was just sexy as hell, and she had to fight to keep her eyes off Regina's long legs crossed at the knee, pointy black heels just the cherry on top of the delicious cake.

Or it would be delicious if Emma ever got a taste. She was lost for a minute there, thinking about that very idea…

Taking pleasure in having sufficiently left Emma off-kilter, as she herself was just before, Regina found her words. "Now why does this feel so familiar?"

Recalling their conversation in Neverland, Emma tipped her head with a grin. "I'm ready this time."

Regina acquiesced. "Okay, but if we do this, we do it my way. There's no danger at present, so you can't just expect to fly by the seat of your pants and 'wing it'."

Emma wasn't sure, but it felt like Regina was remembering her random acts of magic with some fondness. Regina continued on before Emma could ponder on it any further.

"This is a way of life. You have to fully commit to it."

Emma nodded in agreement. "No problem."

"And no complaining," she said firmly, sternly pointing at Emma.

"I'm all in, Obi-Wan."

If looks could kill, Emma would be six feet under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good? Bad? Boring? Sweet? Let me know! All feedback is most welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it’s been a while. Yeah... But I kinda felt like coming back to this. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully the tone, pacing and characterisation isn’t odd. I did read back to get a feel of it again, so fingers crossed. 
> 
> All mistakes are mine.

With a whoosh, the front door opened.

“Sorry I’m late,” Regina said with no small amount of amusement.

The smile on her face was quickly wiped away when a snotty, teary-eyed Tristan was shoved into her arms. But the wailing baby quickly calmed down once he settled into the crook of Regina’s arm.

Snow looked at her son, resting comfortably in the arms of the former Evil Queen. It was just in line with destiny’s apparent sense of humor to have Snow White twice bear children absolutely besotted with one Regina Mills.

“How do you do that?” Snow felt compelled to ask.

“Do what?”

“Make him stop crying. I’ve been trying all morning and none of the usual tricks worked.”

“Well, I’m just holding him.” Snow sniffled a little at that, feeling woefully inadequate.

“Snow,” Regina said gently, rolling her eyes good-naturedly at Snow’s tiny pity party for one. “It’s nothing that you’re doing or not doing. He can feel your anxiety and tension. Just relax and he will too.”

Snow looked down to her feet and nodded. Rationally knowing it was one thing; believing it was another matter entirely.

“Regina…” Snow said quietly after a moment. Regina looked up from cooing at Tristan with curious and maybe, possibly concerned eyes at her tone and demeanor. “I’m not sure I’m very good at being a mother.”

“Snow—”

“We put Emma into that tree on blind faith alone,” Snow blurted out, starting to tear up herself. _Damn hormones_. “She was just a baby. Anything could have happened to her! We had no idea where she was going to be sent. She was just a baby… 

“And then I think about Neverland, and what I said in that cave, how I was determined to stay on the island with David…Regina, what kind of mother does that?" 

Regina stood there silently, rocking a quiet Tristan back and forth. Comforting Snow White was never easy for Regina, even after all this time.  

“All I’ve ever done is put myself first,” Snow finished with sullenly.

“Snow White,” Regina’s sharp tone immediately commanded Snow’s attention away from her sulking. “Pull yourself together. Tristan has managed to survive this long without either of you mailing him over state lines just yet. And Emma is back now. So you can either keep on sniveling about all the things you could have done better in the past, or you can actually make a point of being the mother you hope to be now.”

Taken aback by Regina’s honesty as always, Snow wasn’t sure how to react. Tough love was never something Snow dealt with easily, but she made no comment either way. One didn’t interrupt a queen on a rant.

“No one is going to feel sorry for you but you. In the end, the choice is yours. Wallow in regret and self-doubt, or pull up your big girl panties and get on with it.” Regina finished with a nod, certain she had made her point clear for even Snow White to comprehend.

Quickly sidestepping to get around Snow and further into the apartment, “Now, where’s his bottle? He’s getting fussy again, so it must be time for a drink.”

“Right here,” David called out, having kept a low profile once he heard Regina and Snow start talking. “I’m just warming it up.”

He turned away from the stovetop to kiss his boy on the head before planting a light kiss on Regina’s cheek on his way to the coffee pot. “You want some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Coming right up.”

David looked at his wife standing at the breakfast bar, all messy and adorable. “Snow, go and take your shower. Regina and I will deal with the squirt until Ashley gets here.”

“Ashley?” She inquired about as David handed her a mug while Snow sighed gratefully at the prospect of a moment’s rest, heading off to the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

“She offered to babysit while we take Henry to the animal shelter,” David explained. “They’re understaffed, and it’s grooming day today.”

“Henry does love animals.” Regina smiled warmly, thinking about her son. “And I’m sure Emma would agree with me when I say I appreciate that you’re distracting him from those awful video games.”

“Yep. That’s the plan. Plus, it’ll keep him away from Hook too. Kill two birds with one stone.” 

“Oh, not so sweet on the pirate anymore, hm?” Regina said teasingly before taking a sip of the pleasantly strong blend, making David color.

“Not so much,” he coughed out, clearing his throat. “I liked him well enough, but now he’s just bothering my daughter. Emma said he showed up at the hotel late last night, smelling of rum and desperation, apparently.”

“Someone needs to teach that handless wonder that ‘no’ does not mean ‘keep trying’.”

David smiled cheekily at Regina. “Well, if Emma was taken, maybe he’d back off…” 

“David…”

“Regina…”

“It’s not the time for that,” she said tiredly. 

“I know, but just think about it.” David turned away to grab the bottle, testing the milk against his forearm before he handed the bottle over to Regina. 

“You know that if you take a leap of faith, Emma will be there to catch you.”

“Will she really? I can’t be sure. She seems somewhat unbalanced with her memories of us and of Storybrooke being so vastly different to how it is now. And we still have to figure out what to do about Henry.”

Regina’s face immediately downturned at the thought of it. But before David could do or say anything about it, the door rattled as someone knocked with some impatience on the other side. 

Breaking out of her melancholy, Regina handed Tristan over to his father before walking over to the door to let Ashley in.

“Hey, Regina!” came a squeaky pubescent voice Regina certainly wasn’t expecting. There he was, smiling politely and innocently at her as he once again called her Regina instead of Mom. It almost broke her. 

“Hello, Henry,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her feelings. She wasn’t quite sure she succeeded, at least where Emma was concerned, as the other woman looked at Regina with some concern and seemed to want to reach out to her and offer comfort.

Henry, oblivious to the undercurrent of emotions swirling around, set his plan into action. “You look nice this morning. Doesn’t she look nice, Mom?”

He jabbed his elbow as subtly as he could into his mom’s ribs when she didn’t respond.

“Uh,” she stuttered out, a deer in headlights.

“Smooth, Mom,” Henry muttered, eyes rolling at her utter lack of game. “She hasn’t had her morning coffee yet,” he said, by way of explanation to Regina, hoping she wouldn’t be put off already. Ladies like Regina probably weren’t into babbling idiots. 

Regina just smoothed out her crisp white button down and brushed her hair back, thankfully unperturbed by Mom’s weirdness. _Seriously, what is up with her and Regina?_

“Well, we should rectify that right now,” Regina said, grabbing the handbag she’d unceremoniously dropped onto the hall table near the door after Snow had accosted her.

Regina feigned confidence as she stepped out and laid her hand on Henry’s shoulder, lightly squeezing. _Just a small touch…_

“Perhaps your mother and I will grab something at Granny’s while you’re off helping David and Mary Margaret this morning.”

Not waiting for a response, Regina called out her goodbyes to David and patted Henry, almost affectionately he thought, taking off down the hallway without a backwards glance at his mom. Nodding wordlessly, Mom took her cue finally, clapping Henry on the shoulders and tossing out a “Good luck, kid” as she followed Regina down the hall like a moth to a flame.

* * *

“Ruby.”

“Regina.” 

“Ruby." 

“Emma.”

“Well, this is awkward.”

“Fuck off, Neal.”

“Who pissed in your cereal this morning?”

Luckily, Emma’s magic wasn’t yet going haywire on her, because with the dirty glare being thrown his way, Neal was sure she was trying to melt his face off right this very minute.

“Two coffees. _To go_ ,” Emma gruffly barked out.

She was so not in the mood for this shit. All she wanted was to spend some time with Regina alone while Henry was being kept busy with her parents. But no, the universe was apparently conspiring against her today.

First, she woke up to Hook knocking on her door _again,_ asking her out for a morning coffee. Which judging by his poor attempt at a sexy pouty face, Emma didn’t think he meant partaking in sampling one of Granny’s delicious caffeinated beverages, bizarre as that thought seemed. 

Secondly, Henry was being all kinds of weird this morning—what did she think of Neal’s girlfriend ( _grumble, grumble_ )? _Really, kid? Really?_

And now she found herself in this situation—at Granny’s getting coffee with Regina, _their_ time to be alone together. But of course Regina was being short with her on the walk over, Ruby was looking all effortlessly hot while working the morning shift today, and fucking Neal had to be here having breakfast this morning instead of being off somewhere else and away from her and Regina.

So yeah, the universe was clearly trying to fuck with Emma Swan, and she didn’t like it one bit. Needing a moment to cool it, because a grumpy Emma was so not going to do her any favors, Emma excused herself to go to the bathroom and splash some water on her face.

As soon as Emma was out of earshot, Regina deftly pinched Neal, hard.

“Ow, woman. That hurt.” He rubbed at his arm to lessen the sharp pain.

“Good. Maybe you’ll learn some manners.”

“Seriously?!”

“Don’t bait her. She’s trying to adjust to everything that’s new around here, and you calling attention to this,” drawing a finger back and forth between herself and Ruby, “isn’t helping.”

Neal stuck his hands up in surrender. He didn’t want to get on Regina’s bad side where Emma was concerned. He pulled out a few bills to cover his tab and a tip, pulling on his jacket as he saw the bathroom door open.

“I’ll see you guys later. I’ve got inventory waiting for me.”

Emma timed it perfectly, getting back to Regina with Neal heading out the door and Ruby just popping on the lids for their coffees. She quickly got cash ready to pay for them, thanking Ruby as she picked up Regina’s coffee and handed it to her with what she hoped was a ‘forgive me for being moody’ smile.

“So, you ready to be wowed by my magical awesomeness or what?”

* * *

 

 “Again!”

“It’s not working, Regina. I can’t do it. I can’t make this damn stick float. I’m useless.” 

“Of course you can’t with that attitude,” she bit out, rolling her eyes at Emma’s antics. 

They’d been at this for an hour already; Emma searching for the buzzing somewhere within her, then trying to channel that energy into levitating a small stick off her outstretched hand before sending it flying like an arrow into the nearest tree. Actually making her magic do what she wanted it to do when there was no danger in sight and no enemy to defeat was way harder than she thought it would be. 

“Magic is emotion, Emma. You can’t just want it to happen up here,” she said, pointing to her own temple. “You have to want it to happen in here too,” placing a palm over her heart. “You have to find your emotional trigger and exploit it.”

“So what’s your emotional trigger then?”

“My burning hatred for your mother,” Regina said.

Emma was waiting for the punch line that never came. Nope, apparently she was being completely serious about that.

“Wait, really? I thought you said ‘bygones and all that’,” badly imitating Regina’s tone and effortless hand motion as she said it.

“The way I was taught magic is very different to the way I am teaching you. Rumple wasn’t exactly the type to hold your hand through the learning process. He was a bully, and he taught me to channel my anger and hatred into my magic.”

“So that’s why you have dark magic?”

“The magic of the Dark One is dark magic. The natural magic you and I possess? What non-practitioners don’t understand is that it’s only dark or light by intention, otherwise the Evil Queen would be off on a serious magical bender every time I used even a bit of my magic.” 

“But you still use my mom—” 

“Unlike you, I am a very skilled witch. I don’t need to think at all when I call up my magic. It just happens whenever I wish it so. Like this,” Regina explained as she snapped her fingers and made the sticks and leaves on the ground dance in a circle around Emma’s feet.  

“You, Emma, are a novice, and have really only used your magic when you’re—wait. That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Your emotional trigger. You’ve always been able to perform magic effortlessly when you’re in danger. It’s been spurred by your instincts. Of course!” Regina exclaimed, cutting her hands through the air in exasperation over not realizing it sooner. “Love, Emma. That’s your trigger. Danger terrifies you into action because you want to protect those you love. Your Savior complex is actually helpful for a change.”

“Hey!”

“Think about Henry when you’re focusing on that stick,” Regina urged Emma passionately, stepping closer and closer to her. 

“Think about how easily you would be able to protect your family from the dangers of this world or any other, should it come calling, if you had control over your magic.”

The air surrounding them seemed to still as Regina stepped in close to Emma. Too close. Emma’s breath quickened. Regina seemed to be just as affected, or maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part. She looked back down at the stick in her hand.

“Now again, center yourself, Emma. Empty your mind and search until you feel that buzzing just underneath your skin. Call your magic forth. It’s inside you, Emma, waiting and wanting to burst through to help you. Think only of love and protection. Think of the ones you love and use that to will your magic to do your bidding.”

 _Think only of love and protection. Think of the ones you love._

_Think of Henry. If he’s in danger, I have to be ready. I can’t be caught off-guard. I have to—_

Their eyes began to widen as the stick started to hover over her palm.

 _Snow. David. …Tristan._

The stick was now cleanly floating between them.

_Regina._

**Zoom! Thump!**

Regina walked over to the tree they had earlier designated as the enemy, where the stick had embedded itself firmly into trunk.

“Well, that’s a start,” she said, yanking out the stick with some effort.

Emma looked at her in disbelief. “Why aren’t you pleased? I just did the thing!”

Regina turned back towards her with calculating eyes. “Because you have so much potential, Emma, and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you think this here,” throwing the stick at Emma’s feet, “is something to celebrate. This is just the beginning. Call it Magic 101 if you wish.”

If Regina was one to show her hand easily, she’d tell Emma that she was honestly amazed at how quick a study she was when Emma really set her mind to it. That her magic felt good to be around. That _she_ felt good to be around. And that Regina hadn’t felt this light and free in so very, very long.

“Fine then. Let’s do it again so we can get to the good stuff and you can get to telling me how awesome I am at this like I know you’re itching to do, Your Majesty.”

And with that, Emma grinned smugly as she confidently called up the stick into her hand and sent it flying again across the clearing with a flick of her wrist.


End file.
